He has been overshadowed and underrated, but Nathan Lyon felt the love as he joined the small handful of Australian off-spinners to have taken 100 Test wickets while bowling his team to a winning position in the Boxing Day Test.

Lyon, a slip of a lad from country NSW, sometimes looked as if he would be swept away by the gusty wind that caused burger wrappers and chip packets to swirl around in the air at the MCG as England’s batting imploded, but the 26-year-old has shown on several occasions during his developing career that he is tougher than he looks.

His haul of 5-50 in 17 overs – his first bag of five wickets in Australia – was instrumental in restricting the fourth innings target to 231 for victory.

The normally understated Lyon could not contain his pride at becoming only the sixth Australian off-spinner to take 100 wickets. Off-spin is a tough and unfashionable trade in Australia, and he is the first bowler of his type since Bruce Yardley in the early ’80s to reach the milestone.

‘‘It hasn’t really sunk in yet,’’ Lyon said. ‘‘It’s amazing, to be honest. It seemed like a long way away when I started but I was lucky enough to get there and no one can take ’em off me, I guess.’’

His achievement was all the more significant because of the game situation. Though Mitchell Johnson was again the catalyst, the spinner figured prominently in England’s carnage.

‘‘Personally, to have that result in a second innings in Australia, it was fantastic to turn the game around,’’ Lyon said. ‘‘We didn’t expect that, to be honest. But if we bowled in partnerships and kept improving as a bowling unit we knew we could crack open the game.’’

He did the bulk of his damage after switching ends when the wind changed, and will probably treasure his 101st wicket, that of Kevin Pietersen, the most.

‘‘I was getting blown off my feet there for a bit, but to have that wind and be able to use it to my advantage was a useful advantage for me. I was lucky enough to drift some, didn’t really turn many but to do some guys in the air was pretty good.’’

Kevin Pietersen was the batsman capable of taking the Test beyond Australia’s reach, striking the right balance between aggression and defence until, running out of partners, he tried to hit Lyon into the stands late in the final session.

The ball was tossed up bravely, and Pietersen couldn’t clear long-off where Ryan Harris took a safe catch. Lyon, who has been overshadowed by the fast bowlers for the whole series, held up the ball for the crowd to celebrate the fourth five-wicket haul of his career.

‘‘That is the first time in Australia,’’ Lyon said. ‘‘It was something pretty special that I won’t forget.’’

If Lyon was gifted a few wickets through senseless England batting few would begrudge him, as he hasn’t been given much for free since making his debut in Sri Lanka in 2011 after just a handful of first-class matches.

He has been dropped twice this year and had the unenviable job of being a spinner in the post-Warne era, in which selectors have been almost as impatient as the public. ‘‘To go through being in and out of the side is a massive challenge, but I’m lucky enough to have a great captain and an awesome vice-captain as well and to have their support has been fantastic,’’ Lyon said.

The response of Lyon’s teammates proved he is appreciated from within. After he coaxed a bad shot from Ian Bell, who was caught by Johnson for a golden duck, the fast bowler picked him up like a proud parent. The spinner took some punishment from Jonny Bairstow, who hit him for two sixes and a four before Johnson broke the partnership. Again, Lyon held his nerve and in a single over accounted for Tim Bresnan and Stuart Broad, who presented him with his 100th scalp.

Lyon was also staunch with the bat, combining with Brad Haddin for a last-wicket stand of 40 on the third morning to get Australia within 51 of England’s first innings total. The spinner paid tribute to Haddin, who has passed 50 in six of his eight innings in the series. ‘‘Brad Haddin hands down has been the backbone of our batting,’’ said Lyon, who has also benefited from having the experience and trusted Haddin behind the stumps. ‘‘You look at his results, he’s been fantastic since coming back in the side. He is a great leader and a great fighter and it’s awesome to have him there.’’