Lyon: I've got a lot of improving to do

Nathan Lyon is proud as punch to have moved into fourth among Australia's leading Test wicket takers, but insists he's given no thought as to how many more records he could potentially break.

Lyon surged past his "big brother" Mitchell Johnson (313 wickets), as well as Brett Lee (310), on the all-time Australia wickets table with a devastating haul of 4-0 in six balls on the opening day of the second Test against Pakistan.

"I've never been one for personal success and personal goals, or at least talking about them, but it's a massive honour to pass the likes of Brett Lee and Mitchell Johnson today," the off-spinner said after play with Australia 2-20 in reply to Pakistan's 282.

"I have played a lot of cricket with Mitch and he's been like a big brother to me so I know there will be a bit of banter back and forth tonight and a few text messages – I look forward to that.

"I've been very fortunate enough to play 80 Test matches for Australia and to be in this position to take 314 wickets, personally it's a great achievement and it's something I will look back when I retire from the game and sit back with family and friends and have a beer and talk about it.

"I know my mum and dad will be pretty proud."

His latest achievement led to the inevitable question; just how high on that list could Lyon climb?

"I would not have a clue," he replied, before stressing: "I'm definitely not preparing the retirement speech."

A month out from his 31st birthday, Lyon looks well placed to surpass Dennis Lillee (355 Test wickets) at some stage in the coming 12 months.

And while Shane Warne's benchmark of 708 scalps may be out of reach, at Lyon's current wicket-taking rate, Glenn McGrath's tally of 563 could well be under threat.

Should he continue at his current rate of just under four wickets per Test (a conservative figure given his less prolific matches early in his career) for another five years working on an average of 10 Tests per year, Lyon could reach the 500-wicket barrier.

Bumping those projections up to five wickets per Test, a ratio he has achieved over his past 18 matches having collected 91 wickets since the beginning of 2017, he could overhaul McGrath before his 36th birthday.

All of which seems achievable given Lyon has never missed a Test due to injury.

"I think I can get better," Lyon continued. "I need to get better. I need my game to keep adapting and keep improving. I want to be the best version of myself.

"Over the last 24 months I think I've improved a lot in different small areas.

"I'm very confident with the way the ball is coming out of my hand and I'll leave it at that. I don't want to give too many secrets away."

Image Id: 71B3B6A703BE4F16BF2C7B9F8825EA82 Image Caption: Lyon is mobbed after dismissing Babar // Getty

Lyon did however divulge a notable tactical tweak to his game in Pakistan's first innings.

Having arrived in the United Arab Emirates with a mind to "bowl ugly", as he describes it, on dry, low pitches, Lyon reverted back to his usual, over-spinning method that has done wonders on Australian soil to take advantage of a tacky Abu Dhabi wicket.

It paid off handsomely, removing Pakistan's entire middle order in two overs including three of them (Haris Sohail, Asad Shafiq and Babar Azam) for first- or second-ball ducks.

The right-armer has become Australia's trump card, in Asia especially, a shift that Lyon hasn't taken for granted given just two summers ago he could easily have been dropped during a 660-ball wicket-taking drought at the start of the 2016 summer.

"You know who your mates are when you go through tough times, and I went through a tough time about 24 months ago," said Lyon.

"I've found out my real support now, and it's about just going back to your basics and trying to be the best version of yourself that you possibly can be.

"I've always said in my career that every day I go out to train I try to get better.

"That's the reason why I love this game. You can always improve some areas of your game. I've got a lot of improving to do."

Qantas Tour of the UAE

Australia Test squad: Tim Paine (c), Ashton Agar, Brendan Doggett, Aaron Finch, Travis Head, Jon Holland, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Shaun Marsh, Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Peter Siddle, Mitchell Starc

Pakistan Test squad: Sarfraz Ahmed (c), Azhar Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Babar Azam, Asad Shafiq, Haris Sohail, Usman Salahuddin, Yasir Shah, Shadab Khan, Bilal Asif, Mohammad Abbas, Hasan Ali, Wahab Riaz, Faheem Ashraf, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Hafeez

Oct 7-11: First Test, drawn

Oct 16-20: Second Test, Abu Dhabi