Australia's pace maestro Mitchell Starc notched a mighty milestone a milestone on Day 1 of the second Ashes Test, but immediately downplayed any comparisons to the legendary Wasim Akram. Starc surpassed the Pakistani great to become the leading left-arm pace bowler in Test history during the first day of the second Ashes Test in Brisbane.
Wasim Akram is still a far better bowler than I am: Mitchell Starc
Starc's exceptional six-wicket haul against England propelled his career total to 418 Test wickets, placing him four dismissals ahead of Akram's career tally. Despite securing the record, Starc expressed humility regarding the comparison, acknowledging Akram's immense stature in the history of the game.
“Wasim’s still a far better bowler than I am. So as far as I’m concerned, he’s still the pinnacle of left-armers and certainly he’s right up there with the best bowlers to ever play the game. It’s nice to be spoken of up around that, but I’ll just try to keep churning a few out,” said Starc after the Day 1's play.
In the day-night Test match at the Gabba, Starc took on a magnified leadership role within the Australian bowling attack. He was tasked with leading the charge in the absence of his usual strike partners, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, both sidelined due to injury. Furthermore, the attack was without the experience of spinner Nathan Lyon, who was controversially dropped for the match, making Starc's performance and record-breaking effort even more crucial for the team's success.
“I don’t think I’ve ever played in an attack without one of the three of them playing. So it’s a little bit different in that regard,” Starc added.
Mitchell Starc roars with sizzling six-fer
The 35-year-old Australian pace bowler, who has been in sensational form with 16 wickets already in the current Ashes series, was the only Australian bowler to consistently challenge the English batters on Thursday. Starc achieved his record-breaking feat when he dismissed England's Harry Brook, caught at slip, marking his 415th career wicket and his third of the innings. This wicket saw Starc surpass Pakistan's Wasim Akram, widely regarded as the greatest left-arm bowler the sport has ever produced, who finished his career with 414 wickets from 104 Tests. Starc, who debuted at the Gabba 14 years ago, was playing in his 102nd Test match, illustrating his high durability and consistent performance over time. Earlier in the series, he recorded a career-best 7/58 in the first innings of the opening Test in Perth, showing no signs of slowing down. Starc's six-wicket haul also moved him past Indian spinner Harbhajan Singh's total of 417 wickets, placing him 15th on the all-time Test wicket-takers list. He now has several cricketing legends in his sights, including South Africa's Shaun Pollock (421 wickets) and New Zealand's Richard Hadlee (431 wickets). To become the most prolific left-arm bowler of all time, Starc needs just 16 more wickets to overtake Sri Lankan spinner Rangana Herath, who finished with 433 dismissals.