Australia’s fast bowler Mitchell Starc has created history by becoming the most successful left-arm bowler in Test cricket. He achieved the milestone after dismissing Bangladesh opener Shadman Islam in Darwin on Thursday.
Starc entered the first Test level with former Sri Lanka spinner Rangana Herath on 433 Test wickets. However, in the ninth over of Bangladesh’s first innings, Nathan Lyon completed the catch off Starc’s bowling to dismiss Shadman Islam. With this wicket, Starc moved ahead of Herath and took his Test wicket tally to 434.
The 36-year-old has now reached 434 wickets in 106 Tests, putting him joint 11th on the all-time Test wicket-takers’ list alongside India legend Kapil Dev, who achieved the same tally in 131 matches between 1978 and 1994.
Starc is now just six wickets away from breaking into the top 10 Test wicket-takers. South African pace legend Dale Steyn currently holds 10th place with 439 wickets in 93 Tests.
Regarded as one of the leading fast bowlers of his generation, Starc made his international debut in October 2010 and soon became an important part of Australia’s teams across formats.
Starc has also achieved the rare feat of winning all three major ICC men’s world titles—the ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup and World Test Championship.
In ODI cricket, Starc has taken 247 wickets in 130 matches at an average of 23.58. He was also part of Australia’s World Cup-winning teams in 2015 and 2023
