500 and more: Lyon's absence reinforced his greatness

Nathan Lyon's calf injury wasn't quite a case of paving paradise. But in the last three Ashes Tests, Australia got a glimpse into what life will look like once Lyon is gone - and it wasn't pretty. And as he claimed a monumental 500th Test wicket, in his first match on return, becoming just the eighth man in history to do so and only the second offspinner behind Muthiah Muralidaran, it was not lost on anyone just how much he means to this Australian team.

On day two, as Pakistan's openers reached 74 without loss through 36 overs in Perth, Lyon found a way to break the game open on a surface that is much more suited to the quicks. He changed the angle to go around the wicket, and installed a leg slip for the obdurate Abdullah Shafique.

Two balls later, Shafique advanced to the wrong length and glanced one straight to leg slip. All this, after forecasting it to Mitchell Marsh in the previous over.

"He's obviously one of our best players to ever play Test-match cricket for Australia," Marsh said. "He's always thinking about the game. He said to me in the over before [that] he was going to come around the wicket, and put a leg slip in. So I guess that's why he's been so successful. He's always thinking, [and] asking questions for someone who's played 100 Test matches. He allows us great control. He's always a wicket-taking option for us. So we're extremely lucky to have him back."

In the lead-up to the Test summer, Lyon's team-mates and coaches were full of praise for him as he neared his latest landmark. He has been like a warm security blanket for Australia for so many years. Steven Smith, who has captained Lyon in 38 of his 101 Tests, spoke of his value.

"Five-hundred wickets - that's a serious feat in itself," Smith said. "There's no doubt we missed Nathan the back end of the Ashes. What he brings to the attack [is] the control and different tempos. He can play a defensive role, he can play an attacking role, and he's got all the tricks. We definitely missed him. So it's good to have him back.

"He's been incredible - particularly [in] the last three or four years I think - [with] the way he's grown and developed, and the way he's been able to bowl in different conditions and learn. He's continually learning and trying to get better as well. He's a valuable - if not the most valuable - member in this team for our attack."

Lyon's coach Andrew McDonald went one step further, stating that his absence in the Ashes had completely derailed Australia's bowling plans that had worked so well in a tight win in the first Test at Edgbaston, where he had claimed eight wickets and curtailed England's Bazball boundary barrage.

"I'm glad someone noticed the fact that we were missing him in the last three Test matches," McDonald said. "It was a huge loss when he went down. It destabilised what we normally do, and he's been down the other end of those quicks [for] 100 Test matches on the dot. He's so important to the way that we want to operate. He can tie up and end. He can be aggressive when he wants to be. But he makes that attack work. There's no doubt about that. And when he wasn't there, we went through some periods of instability; and we had to find different ways of doing things.

"I think he flies under the radar in conversations at times. We're happy to have him every time he plays. I think people will reflect on when he does finally hang up the boots; they'll reflect on how important he was to this bowling attack. And internally, we recognise that. Externally, at times, I think sometimes he's not recognised as much as he should be."

Alex Carey has been one of only five Test wicketkeepers to have kept to Lyon throughout his 12-year international career. He was in awe of Lyon's ability to take 500 wickets while predominantly bowling on Australian pitches that are very unfriendly for finger spinners.

"His consistency, [and] his subtle changes - for a finger spinner to [take] 500 Test wickets in Australia speaks for itself, really," Carey said. "I think with the drop-in wickets in Australia, there's really good grass coverage. So he's able to get the ball to grip and spin, and probably the biggest one is the bounce that he can get as well. I think for teams that come out, they probably don't put a lot of focus in the spin bowling. It's [on] the quick bowling and the hard bouncy wickets, but for him it's turn and it's bounce. He can bowl in the first session of a Test match, and be really threatening."

It is somewhat fitting that Lyon would reach the milestone at the Perth Stadium. It would be the last place in the world most finger spinners would prefer to bowl at. Yet, Lyon has been dominant here in just four Tests.

"Anytime he gets bounce, he becomes very difficult for batters to be able to combat," McDonald said. "He brings outside edge, [and] inside edge into play. He can beat them on both sides of the bat. It's an extraordinary skill considering it's just doing the work with the fingers. An incredible player and hopefully we see [him] for many more years to come."

Beyond giving Australia a glimpse into a future without Lyon, it left the man himself wondering what life would be like without the opportunity to play Test cricket for his country. He has admitted it left him in a dark place, and he resolved to continue to play until 2027.

Travis Head, one of his closest mates in the Australian team, is hopeful the injury pushes him well beyond 500.

"It might mean he adds a little bit on to his [game] for the back end of his career, which is I think hugely important for this team with the role he plays," Head said. "Amazing achievement. I'm sure he can go a lot further than that as well, which is exciting."