Mitchell Starc has created a record for himself as the most prolific left arm bowler in Test cricket history by dismissing Bangladesh opener Shadman Islam in the first Test at Darwin on Thursday.
Starc levelled Rangana Herath as former Sri Lankan spinner with an equal amount of 433 wickets in Tests when the match started.
He was, however, is now ahead of Sri Lanka’s great when in the ninth over of the first innings Islam was caught out by Nathan Lyon off a delivery by Starc.
After this achievement the legendary Pakistani fast bowler Wasim Akram was pushed to third in the rankings of the most-successful left-arm bowlers in Tests.
Starc’s career record was then extended to 434 wickets in 106 Tests and the bowler has become joint 11th on the all-time Test wicket-takers’ list with India legend Kapil Dev, who achieved the same milestone in 131 matches.
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He is just six wickets away from making it to the top 10 bowlers of all time. The current top 10 list of fast bowlers by wickets includes South African ace Dale Steyn (93 tests, 439 wickets).
One of the top fast bowlers of his time, Starc made his international debut in October 2010 and has since featured prominently in the Australian side in all three formats.
The left-hander has also become the first to have won all three major ICC World Cups among the men in the cricket world: the ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup and the World Test Championship.
Starc’s record in ODIs, especially, is very impressive, having claimed 247 wickets in 130 matches, with an average of 23.58. He played a crucial role in Australia’s ODI World Cup triumphs in 2015 and 2023.
His new landmark further reinforces his place among the best left-arm bowlers in world cricket.
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