He overtook Australian spinner Nathan Lyon to become the seventh highest wicket-taker in Test cricket.
Australia is on the cusp of scripting another milestone. If the Baggy Greens trounce the Proteas, they will become the first team to defend the WTC mace successfully.
Australia fast bowler Scott Boland believes his team is still well-placed for victory against India with two days left in the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne.
'Lyon has improved as a bowler in the last four-five years. He likes to bowl and he wants to bowl as many overs as possible. His line length is very good and has improved a lot, I feel.'
Steve Smith's magnificent 71 guided Australia to 221 for seven at stumps on Day 3 of the second Test against the West Indies in Grenada on Saturday, helping the tourists to build a commanding 254-run lead despite late wickets and persistent rain interruptions.
Alex Carey scored 63 and Beau Webster 60 as Australia were bowled out for 286. West Indies pacer Alzarri Joseph took 4 wickets for 61 runs on Day 1 of the second Test.
Lyon will be lauded for his 10-108 over the match, there was little doubt that Green's brilliant knock in a 10th-wicket partnership of 116 runs with Josh Hazlewood set the platform for the victory.
Skipper Pat Cummins, who missed the tour of Sri Lanka due to the birth of his second child in February and was also ruled out of the Champions Trophy campaign with an ankle injury, will take the reins against South Africa.
England were spared the ignominy of the follow-on but Australia appeared on course for victory after dominating day three of the day-night second Ashes Test at the Adelaide Oval on Saturday.
Australia bowled the West Indies out for 333 on Sunday in the second session of Day 5 to register a thumping 164-run victory in the first Test at Perth Stadium and a 1-0 lead in the two-match series.
Ravichandran Ashwin is a prolific performer but former Australia chinaman bowler Brad Hogg believes that fellow countryman Nathan Lyon has upstaged the Indian tweaker as the best off-spinner in longest format. Ashwin has so far taken 365 wickets from 71 Tests, while Lyon has 390 wickets from 96 Tests.
Images from Day 5 in the fourth Test between Australia and India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Monday.
'When Nathan Lyon was bowling I saw two or three balls without any drift. So, I thought of taking on Lyon so that we get some quick runs.'
Former wicketkeeper Brad Haddin says Australia missed the experience and skills of senior spinner Nathan Lyon during their unsuccessful World T20 campaign in India. Lyon was kept out in favour of young spinners Adam Zampa and Ashton Agar, while allrounder Glenn Maxwell also chipped in with his part-timers. Rookie leg-spinner Zampa was a revelation for the Aussies, claiming five wickets in four matches in the tournament. But Australia's other spin options were used sparingly throughout the tournament; Agar bowled just one over in his only match against New Zealand, which went for 18, while Maxwell sent down eight overs in four matches, taking two wickets and conceding 7.6 runs an over. Australia suffered defeats to New Zealand and hosts India to be knocked out in the group stage and on wickets the supported spin bowling, Haddin says Lyon was sorely missed.
Joe Root has reclaimed the top spot in the ICC Men's Test Batting Rankings after his stellar efforts helped England secure a 22-run victory over India at Lord's, according to the official website of the ICC.
Rohit Sharma, who joined the team on Day 3 of the Test, was present to witness the historic win and shared a heartwarming moment with Virat Kohli, who returned to form with a brilliant century.
The Australian off-spinner claimed his seventh five-wicket haul in Tests against India to equal the record of taking five wickets or more in an innings against India with Sri Lanka great Muttiah Muralitharan
Sri Lanka are still 518 runs behind and will need a Herculean effort to avoid the follow-on even though more rain is forecast for Saturday.
Lyon celebrates 500 wickets as Australia thrash Pakistan by 360 runs
Australian spinner Nathan Lyon is expecting an Indian comeback in the second Test at Melbourne this week after the tourists were skittled for 36 on their way to losing the series opener by eight wickets in Adelaide.
Australia will have to dust off the cobwebs but are still fancied to successfully defend their World Test Championship crown against equally ring-rusty South Africa in the final at Lord's.
'...there was a time there where it could have been 250 or 270 (run lead) or maybe even less there for a bit.'
Australia will press for an Ashes series whitewash against England to boost their chances of making the final of the 2021-23 World Test Championship (WTC), spin spearhead Nathan Lyon said on Sunday.
Images from Day 5 of the first Ashes Test between England and Australia, at Edgbaston, on Monday.
Former No. 1-ranked Test batter Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja would open the innings for Australia in the WTC final against South Africa while the fit-again Cameron Green would bat at the No. 3 position.
Australia spinner Nathan Lyon has endorsed Pat Cummins as the Test side's next captain and Steve Smith as the fast bowler's deputy while ruling out himself as a potential leader for the team.
Australia's success has been compared with some of the nation's great Test teams led by Steve Waugh and Ricky Ponting.
Australia, who have already secured their place in the final of the World Test Championship against South Africa, won the opening Test, also in Galle, by an innings and 242 runs.
Legendary Australian leg spinner Shane Warne has accused skipper Steve Smith of 'bad captaincy' for his handling of off-spinner Nathan Lyon during the team's first Test against South Africa at the WACA in Perth.
The 34-year-old took the prized wickets of Imam-ul-Haq, Azhar Ali and Babar Azam to end Pakistan's resistance and finished with figures of 5-83 in Pakistan's second innings.
Interesting numbers from Day 1 of Bangalore Test.
Australia will be aiming to become the first-ever side to defend their ICC WTC mace as they take on Proteas in the 'Ultimate Test' from June 11 onwards at Lord's.
Marnus Labuschagne believes India's memorable fourth innings run chase at the Gabba from 2021 is of little relevance heading into the final day of a gripping Boxing Day Test.
If Smith is ruled out, then the left-hand batter Travis Head will lead the squad as he is the vice-captain of the side.
Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon has joined India counterpart Ravichandran Ashwin in defending Ahmedabad's spin-friendly pitch where India thumped England inside two days of the day-night third Test on Thursday.
'We've gone head-to-head many times in different conditions around the world. I've definitely learned from him.'
Australian captain Pat Cummins expressed disappointment over the rain interruptions that prevented a decisive result.
Australian media has heaped praise on off-spinner Nathan Lyon, whose seven-wicket haul helped his team post a thrilling win against India on the final day of the first Test in Adelaide.
Kohli's farewell came during a turbulent Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Australia, a place once synonymous with his rise.
'Maybe he got some indication from the team management that he is no longer in the scheme of things.'
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