Offspinner Nathan Lyon claimed his 564th wicket during the third test against England in Adelaide on Thursday to move clear of fellow Australian Glenn McGrath and into sixth on the all-time list.
The 38-year-old, a classical spinner who flights the ball, bowled Ben Duckett to reach the milestone of day two of his 141st test – one of two wickets in a sensational opening over which also accounted for Ollie Pope.
Next in his sights is England seamer Stuart Broad (604), then Indian great Anil Kumble (619).
Sri Lanka's Muttiah Muralitharan on 800 is the all-time top wicket-taker, followed by Australian Shane Warne (708) and England's Jimmy Anderson (704).
Lyon recently said he was in the some of the best form of his life and he had no plans to quit, with his longevity partly due to having not played international white-ball cricket since 2019.
Affectionately known as "Garry" after former Australian rules footballer Garry Lyon, he made his debut in 2011 and has best figures of 8-50.