Mitchell Starc has made cricket history in Darwin, establishing himself as the most successful left-arm bowler in Test cricket history while also surpassing Indian icon Kapil Dev on the all-time wicket-takers list.
The Australian pacer claimed the left-arm record on Day 1 (Thursday) when he dismissed Bangladesh opener Shadman Islam. That wicket was his 434th in Test cricket, taking him past Sri Lankan spin legend Rangana Herath (433) to sit atop the all-time left-arm bowling charts and draw level with Kapil Dev.
On Day 2 (Friday), the left-arm quick went one step further by trapping wicketkeeper-batter Litton Das for a duck. The breakthrough took Starc’s tally to 435 Test wickets, moving him past Kapil Dev (434) and into sole possession of 11th place overall. Starc reached 435 wickets in his 106th Test match, achieving the milestone in 25 fewer matches than Kapil required across his 131-Test career.
With his position as the premier left-arm bowler in Test history now cemented, Starc needs just five more wickets to surpass South Africa’s Dale Steyn (439) and break into the top 10 overall wicket-takers.
Despite Starc’s individual milestones, Australia ended Day 2 under heavy pressure. Powered by a maiden Test century from opener Tanzid Hasan (101) and an 84 from skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto, Bangladesh closed the day at 351/6, holding a commanding 153-run lead after Australia were bowled out for 198 on Day 1. Starc currently holds first-innings figures of 2/68.
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