Off-spinner Nathan Lyon secured his place in Australian cricket history on a scorching day in Adelaide, dismantling England's top order and moving into second place on his nation's all-time Test wicket-takers list. His remarkable return, alongside a dominant Pat Cummins, left the tourists' Ashes hopes melting in the sun as the hosts' attack proved far too potent.
Lyon's Long Wait Ends in Historic Over
For Nathan Lyon, the path to this milestone was filled with frustrating delays. His last Test wicket came on 6 July against the West Indies in Grenada, leaving him stranded on 562, just one behind the legendary Glenn McGrath's 563. He was surprisingly omitted in Jamaica and then saw limited action in the first two Ashes Tests in Perth and Brisbane, where England's collapses rendered a specialist spinner unnecessary.
The wait finally ended in dramatic fashion during England's first innings at the Adelaide Oval. Brought into the attack in the 10th over, Lyon needed just six balls to etch his name deeper into the record books. His third delivery accounted for a confused Ollie Pope, who flicked a simple catch to midwicket. Three balls later, he produced a perfect off-break that turned past Ben Duckett's defence and clipped the left-hander's off stump.
Those two wickets, numbers 563 and 564 of his career, saw him surge past McGrath. Only the late, great Shane Warne, with 708, now sits above him in the pantheon of Australian Test bowlers.
Cummins Joins the Rout on Seamless Return
While Lyon stole the statistical headlines, Australian captain Pat Cummins delivered a masterclass of his own, looking utterly unfazed by his recent layoff. Returning from a back injury that had kept him out of first-class cricket for five months, Cummins bowled with immediate menace and control.
He struck early, achieving the rare feat of dismissing Zak Crawley to a defensively sound shot, the edge found through relentless accuracy. In a subsequent spell, he removed the key wicket of Joe Root for the 12th time in Test cricket, a record that underscores his dominance over England's premier batter. He later added the wicket of Jamie Smith to his tally, underlining a complete team bowling performance.
England's Batting Frailty Laid Bare
The ease with which Australia's premier bowlers settled back into their work served as a brutal contrast to England's struggles. Debates about the tourists' preparation—whether they played enough warm-up matches or acclimatised correctly—were rendered moot by the sheer quality of the opposition.
As the temperature soared past 40 degrees Celsius, creating gruelling conditions, a disciplined team would have aimed to grind the Australian attack into the dust. Instead, the innings unravelled rapidly. The gulf in class was starkly illustrated by Jofra Archer's efforts; the England paceman toiled for a five-wicket haul in the Australian innings, only to be forced out to bat in the final hour of the day, where he outscored seven of the specialist batters above him.
The third day will see England resume, still two wickets down, facing a monumental task to salvage the match. For Nathan Lyon and Australia, however, it was a day of personal triumph and collective dominance that has firmly swung the Ashes momentum in their favour.
