Nathan Lyon 'very proud' to join illustrious 500 Test wicket club as Australia thrash Pakistan in first Test

Nathan Lyon said he was “very proud” after reaching a historic landmark of 500 career Test wickets in a victory over Pakistan.

The 36-year-old helped steer the Aussies to a 360-run first Test win in Perth on Sunday.

Faheem Ashraf and Aamer Jamal were dismissed by Lyon as he became just the eighth player ever to pass the 500-wicket mark.

The off-spinner joined the illustrious club by removing Faheem lbw on review, before adding a second wicket to his tally.

“It's something I'm pretty proud about,” Lyon told TNT Sports.

“For a young kid growing up in the country in New South Wales, 500 wickets is a long way away. A lot of hard work, but something I'm very, very proud of.

"I was pretty confident about the review, everyone said the height was okay, it was just whether or not it was sliding down leg. Thankfully, it was three reds.

"It doesn't matter where we are, 500 wickets is pretty amazing. To do it here and contribute to an impressive team win makes it a lot better."

Only seven players have more wickets to their name than Lyon, who was named Australian Men’s Test Player of the Year in 2019 and has been named in the ICC Test Team of the Year three times.

Muttiah Muralitharan (800 wickets), Shane Warne (708), James Anderson (690), Anil Kumble (619), Stuart Broad (604), Glen McGrath (563) and Courtney Walsh (519) are the players above him in the all-time ranking.

“I didn't even know he was on 499. I'm joking, it's all he's spoken about for six months,” Australia captain Pat Cummins said to ABC.

“He bowled really well all game. The wicket didn't offer the off-spinner much assistance.

"It's huge, 500 Test wickets, all over the world, over a decade, in all conditions. He's been waiting for that one for six months with his calf injury and he has just bowled as well as he ever has."

Pakistan fell well short of their target of 450 in Perth as they were bowled out for 89.

Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc took three wickets each in a dominant day for the hosts, who took a 1-0 lead in the three-match series.

It was a day to forget for Pakistan, who registered their lowest Test score since being bowled out for 81 in April 2017 against the West Indies.

The second Test starts on December 26.

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