Lethal Lyon rewrites 130-year-old record

Australia off-spinner Nathan Lyon has another milestone under his belt on his golden tour of Bangladesh, eclipsing a 130-year old record on day four of the second Test in Chittagong.

With his third wicket of Bangladesh's second innings and his 19th of the series, Lyon secured the record for the most wickets by an Australian in a two-Test series. Lyon went past that mark set by JJ Ferris in the two-Test 1887 Ashes series, where he snared 18 scalps in his the first two matches of his international career.

Two-Test series are not common for Australia, but The record caps off a memorable tour for Australia's most prolific finger-spinner, who took his 250th Test scalp in the first Test and has gone past Baggy Green champions Richie Benaud and Jason Gillespie on the all-time wicket-takers list.

Lyon now has the overall record for the most wickets in a two-Test series in his sights, held by wily Sri Lanka left-armer Rangana Herath who claimed 23 wickets on Sri Lanka's tour of Pakistan in 2014.

It also marked Lyon's second 10-wicket haul in Tests, and the first since he took 12 against India at the Adelaide Oval in 2014 to orchestrate a memorable, and emotion-charged, Australian victory that came in the wake of the Phillip Hughes tragedy

The last Australian off-spinner to collect two 10-wicket hauls in Test cricket was Hugh Trumble, who reached that milestone in 1902 with back-to-back 10-fers in that year's Ashes. 

It's been a superb series for Lyon, who led the way for Australia in the first Test on the way to nine wickets for the match including six in Bangladesh's second innings.

Presented with a less volatile pitch Chittaong, Lyon nonetheless starred across the first two days of the second Test, claiming 7-94 in removing six of the home side's top-seven.

And as the pitch begun to take more turn on day four, Lyon came into his own to cripple the hosts’ top-order.

He first accounted for Tamim Iqbal, deceiving the left-hander in flight to have him stumped for 12, then Imrul Kayes (15), who bunted a simple catch to cover, before sealing the record when Shakib al Hasan edged to David Warner at second slip.

After day one of the second Test, Lyon said the key to his success on the subcontinent has been to "bowl ugly", while also admitting he'd closely studied the methods of India spin wizard Ravi Ashwin.

"I think it's a lot to do with confidence," Lyon said on Monday. "This is probably my sixth tour to the subcontinent.

"Leading an attack where I've played the most games, lead the wicket column with the bowling group, I've put enough pressure on myself to go out there and perform well.

"I've watched a lot of footage of Ashwin, who in my book is probably the No.1 spinner in the world.

"What works for me in Australia probably doesn't really work here in the subcontinent. In saying that, it's also my strength as well, so I can't go too far from that.

"I have to put my ego away and in my terms, bowl ugly.

"That might be (bowling) round arm, trying to undercut the ball a little bit more but using my stock ball as a variation.

"I think I've learnt a lot in the subcontinent and I'm embracing the challenge.

"You've got to want it, you want to go out there and do well for your mates walking out there, but the whole Australian public at home."

Most wickets in a two-Test series by an Australian

Nathan Lyon – 19 wickets v Bangladesh 2017*

JJ Ferris – 18 v England, 1887

Charlie Turner – 17 v England 1887

Stuart Macgill – 17 v Bangladesh 2003

Brett Lee – 16 v Sri Lanka in 2007

Australia in Bangladesh 2017

Australia squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Ashton Agar, Jackson Bird, Hilton Cartwright, Pat Cummins, Peter Handscomb, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Steve O'Keefe, Matthew Renshaw, Mitchell Swepson, Matthew Wade.

Bangladesh squad: Mushfiqur Rahim (c), Tamim Iqbal, Soumya Sarkar, Imrul Kayes, Shakib Al Hasan, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Sabbir Rahman, Nasir Hossain, Liton Das, Taskin Ahmed, Shafiul Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Taijul Islam, Mominul Haque.

27-31 August First Test, Dhaka, Bangladesh won by 20 runs

4-8 September Second Test, Chittagong