Lyon bowls through the pain on return to debut dreamland

At the iconic seaside venue where the Nathan Lyon fairy tale began 11 years ago, Australia's greatest ever off-spinner pushed through considerable discomfort to continue his unlikely surge up the all-time Test wicket-taking charts.

The normally bulletproof Lyon, who has avoided major injury for the entirety of his international career, suffered a back spasm while bowling his first over in Australia's series opener at the picturesque Galle ground where he made his Test debut in 2011.

His love affair with the coastal retreat, which started when he dismissed Kumar Sangakkara with his first ball in international cricket on the way to a debut five-wicket haul more than a decade ago, continued on Wednesday as he tore through Sri Lanka with figures of 5-90.

And did so under some duress.

"I've never had one – ever," Lyon said of the back spasm he suffered after bowling just four balls on the morning of day one. "I've been pretty lucky, touch wood, with injuries. It didn't impede me bowling (but) I'm pretty stiff now."

The fact Lyon's 20th career five-wicket haul came at the same venue as his first was not the only obvious parallel with his Test entrance in Galle in 2011.

Lyon's opening delivery on Wednesday, closely watched given it was the first sent down by a spinner on a surface expected to take turn from the get-go, was bowled from the same end, opposite the famous Dutch fort, that he operated from in 2011.

This one, to Sri Lanka's left-handed skipper Dimuth Karunaratne, landed in a similar spot to the ball that had famously caught Sangakkara's outside edge and was caught by Michael Clarke at first slip.

Only this time Lyon extracted even more bounce and spin, leaving Karunaratne with no hope of laying bat on it.

"(Extra bounce) is one of my biggest weapons, there's no secret about that," said Lyon. "It's something I'm very excited to see, obviously spin and bounce is good signs."

It was that kind of bounce good judges were blown away by more than a decade ago when Lyon was still a raw young spinner, who swiftly went from Adelaide Oval curator to Test bowler within the space of a year.

But even those who fast-tracked him onto the biggest stage would never have predicted he would go on to take more than 400 Test wickets.

Having taken his count to 432 on Wednesday, Lyon overtook Richard Hadlee (on 431) and is a strong chance to go past Rangana Herath (433) and Kapil Dev (434) in Sri Lanka's second innings.

Passing Herath here will be fitting given the frank advice Lyon received from the left-armer six years ago that helped him demystify the subcontinent, having since taken 75 wickets at 25.84 in Asia.

Up until that 2016 three-nil whitewash in Sri Lanka, Lyon's 42 wickets on the subcontinent had cost 42.57 apiece.

"We learned a lot from the 2016 tour, there’s no doubt about that," Lyon said. "We learn a lot as young, developing Test cricketers, as a young team into a more senior squad (now). 

"I’ve learned a lot from my time in the subcontinent but also in Australia about how to bowl off-breaks and what becomes really effective."

Lyon is gradually making up the gap between his own Test wicket tally and those of the two all-time leaders by that measure, Shane Warne and Muttiah Muralidaran, whose spinning hands have been immortalised on the trophy Australia and Sri Lanka are playing for.

While the late, great Warne (who the ongoing Test has been dedicated to following his death earlier this year) had boldly predicted Lyon might be able to one day overtake his haul of 708 Test scalps, it was Muralidaran who has had the bigger influence on his career.

The legendary Sri Lankan, who was in attendance on Wednesday paying tribute to Warne's legacy at the Galle venue he had helped rebuild through fundraising efforts after the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami, worked closely with Lyon on multiple occasions, including during the 2016 tour.

And while both Warne's 708 and Murali's 800 may be out of reach for the 34-year-old Australian, Lyon has one thing in common with the two spin icons.

"I love bowling," said Lyon, who insisted he will be fit to take the field in the second innings.

"You ask Pat (Cummins, Australia's captain) if he can take the ball out of my hands in these types of conditions and I will probably tell you where to go.

"I absolutely love bowling in these conditions.

"This is my job over here in these conditions. I will do whatever the team needs. If that's long spells, then it is long spells. If it is short spells as Pat is changing his bowlers, that is entirely fine as well."

Qantas Tour of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Test squad: Dimuth Karunaratne (c), Pathum Nissanka, Oshada Fernando, Angelo Mathews, Kusal Mendis, Dhananjaya de Silva, Kamindu Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella, Dinesh Chandimal, Ramesh Mendis, Chamika Karunaratne, Kasun Rajitha, Vishwa Fernando, Asitha Fernando, Dilshan Madushanka, Praveen Jayawickrama, Lasith Embuldeniya, Jeffrey Vandersay. Standby players: Dunith Wellalage, Lakshitha Rasanjana.

Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Ashton Agar, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Mitchell Swepson, David Warner. Standby players: Jon Holland, Matthew Kuhnemann, Todd Murphy

June 29 - July 3: First Test, Galle, 2.30pm AEST

July 8-12: Second Test, Galle, 2.30pm AEST

Sri Lanka v Australia Test matches will be screened live on Fox Cricket and Kayo Sports