Mitchell Starc continued to make the ball talk despite England coming up with a much better performance with the bat in the second Ashes Test in Brisbane. Starc struck in the first over again, but half-centuries from Zak Crawley and Joe Root meant that England were fighting fire with fire.
Mitchell Starc became the most successful left-arm fast bowler in Test cricket history on Day 1 of the second Ashes Test against England at the Gabba in Brisbane, taking three wickets out of four which Australia took in the first two sessions. Starc, who took a 10-wicket haul for the match in the series opener in Perth, needed just three wickets to surpass the all-time great Wasim Akram on the list.
Starc equalled Akram’s tally of 414 wickets in his first two overs, with the wickets of Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope. Starc, who came back for his third spell under the lights, finally got his third in the form of Harry Brook, who decided to have a go at a full wide delivery and hit it straight to the Australian captain Steve Smith in slips to get to the landmark. Starc now has 415 wickets in his name in Test cricket.
Most wickets for a left-arm pacer in Test cricket
415 – Mitchell Starc (Australia), in 195 innings
414 – Wasim Akram (Pakistan), in 181 innings
355 – Chaminda Vaas (Sri Lanka), in 194 innings
317 – Trent Boult (New Zealand), in 149 innings
313 – Mitchell Johnson (Australia), in 140 innings
Starc is still not at the top of the list on the overall list of left-arm bowlers, with Rangana Herath having 433 Test wickets to his name. However, 19 more wickets in at least three and a half innings for Starc to become the greatest left-arm bowler shouldn’t be a big ask, especially in the form he has been, having scalped 13 wickets so far in the Ashes series.
England offered much better resistance with the bat as Zak Crawley and Joe Root smashed well-compiled fifties to fight fire with fire. Michael Neser, the day-night Test specialist for Australia, broke the marathon partnership, ending Crawley’s resistance to provide his side with a huge breakthrough, before Starc got rid of Brook, to set the ball rolling again.
England had two of their most senior players, skipper Ben Stokes and former captain Joe Root in the middle at the dinner break and the visitors will be keen to breach the 300 mark on the first day, while having a few wickets to play with on the second morning.
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