Who is the fastest to 400 Test wickets by balls?
What's the story
Australian speedster Mitchell Starc set several records in the 3rd and final Test against West Indies in Kingston. In his 100th Test appearance, Starc took seven wickets, including six in the final innings. He recorded a fifer off just 15 balls, now the fastest in the format. His effort won Australia the Day-Night Test by 176 runs. Notably, Starc also completed 400 Test wickets.
#1
Dale Steyn: 16,634 balls
Former South African speedster Dale Steyn tops this elite list, having completed 400 Test wickets off 16,634 balls. Steyn, who gave a headache to many great batters with his speed and swing, finished with 439 wickets at an incredible average of 22.95 in the format. In terms of matches, Steyn is the joint third-fastest to 400 Test wickets, with New Zealand's Richard Hadlee (80).
#2
Mitchell Starc: 19,062 balls
It is worth noting that no other player has reached 400 Test wickets in even 18,000 balls. Starc is now behind Steyn, having achieved it in 19,062 balls, as per ESPNcricinfo. As mentioned, the former unlocked this achievement in his 100th Test. Starc bagged figures worth 6/9 in Kingston, now the best for a player in their 100th Test match.
Information
Fastest fifer in Test history
As mentioned, in Kingston, Starc raced to his five-wicket haul in just 15 deliveries. The previous record was 19 balls, shared by Ernie Toshack (vs India, Brisbane, 1947), Stuart Broad (vs Australia, Nottingham, 2015), and Scott Boland (vs England, MCG, 2021), as per ESPNcicinfo.