Australian fast bowling spearhead Mitchell Starc achieved a historic personal milestone on Friday during the second day of the first Test against Bangladesh in Darwin. By removing visiting wicketkeeper batter Litton Das for a duck, Starc captured his 435th Test wicket, officially moving past Indian cricketing legend Kapil Dev on the all-time international wicket-takers list to claim the eleventh position.
That initial breakthrough also allowed the left arm pacer to surpass Sri Lankan spin great Rangana Herath, solidifying his status as the most successful left arm bowler in Test cricket history. He also holds the distinction of being the highest wicket-taking pace bowler in the history of the ICC World Test Championship, alongside ranking as the second highest overall. Bangladesh then seized absolute control of the contest during their turn at the crease.
Starc had drawn level with Kapil on 434 dismissals on the opening day of the fixture by dismissing Bangladeshi opener Shadman Islam. Herath had finished his decorated 93-Test career with 433 wickets at an average of 28.07. Within the landscape of Australian cricket, Starc remains the second highest wicket-taking fast bowler in the longest format, trailing only Glenn McGrath, who concluded his legendary career with 563 dismissals. The only other Australian bowlers ahead of Starc are spin greats Shane Warne, who leads the country with 708 Test wickets, and Nathan Lyon. Over the course of his career, Starc has established himself as a definitive match winner across formats, recording 18 five wicket hauls and three ten wicket match hauls. After Shadman Islam fell for 20 runs, young opener Tanzid Hasan Tamim etched his name into the history books by becoming the first Bangladeshi batter to score a Test century on Australian soil, finishing with 101 runs. Contributions from Mominul Haque, who added 49 runs, and captain Najmul Hossain Shanto pushed the visitors to a commanding total of 348 runs for the loss of six wickets by the 106th over, establishing a substantial lead over the struggling hosts.
