Nathan Lyon dismisses Dinesh Chandimal twice in same session, rare feat sends Australia spinner past R Ashwin
Nathan Lyon achieved a rare bowling feat during Day 4 of the opening Test against Sri Lanka, as he dismissed Dinesh Chandimal twice within the same session. The Australian spin great ended Chandimal’s fighting knock in the first innings at 10:13 AM local time, and after Australia imposed a follow-on, Lyon dismissed the Sri Lanka batter again at 12:03 PM.
Chandimal scored a gritty 72 in the first innings, fighting a lone battle as wickets continued to tumble at the other end for Sri Lanka. In a fairly one-sided contest in Galle so far, Australia posted a mammoth 654/6d to put Sri Lanka on the backfoot. The hosts, in reply, collapsed to just 165, after which Australia imposed the follow-on.
It was a disastrous morning for Sri Lanka on Day 4, as the home side lost eight wickets in a session – five in the first innings and three more after being asked to bat again.
Matthew Kuhnemann was Australia’s standout performer, claiming his second five-wicket haul in Test cricket. While Lyon, who finished with three wickets in the first innings, created more opportunities with his off-spin, Sri Lankan batters couldn’t handle Kuhnemann’s left-arm spin, attempting to take him on.
Sri Lanka naturally faced another poor start in the second innings, and Chandimal found himself at the crease within hours of his first-innings dismissal. This time, however, he could only score 31 off 49 deliveries, as the hosts now stare at a big innings defeat.
Lyon’s record
With the wicket of Chandimal in the second innings, Australia’s Lyon also created a new bowling record in Sri Lanka. He surpassed India’s Ravichandran Ashwin to become the highest wicket-taker (among overseas bowlers) on Sri Lankan soil.
Ashwin had 38 wickets to his name in Sri Lanka.
Here are the top-5 highest wicket-takers in the country (overseas)
- Nathan Lyon (Australia) – 39*
- Ravichandran Ashwin (India) – 38
- Saeed Ajmal (Pakistan) – 38
- Shane Warne (Australia) – 37
- Yasir Shah (Pakistan) – 33
Lyon and Shah are the only active international cricketer among the top-5 in the list; the latter, however, is currently not a part of Pakistan’s Test setup.
