Mitchell Starc becomes most successful left-arm bowler in Test history
What's the story
Australia's Mitchell Starc has become the most successful left-arm bowler in Test cricket. The milestone was achieved on Day 1 of Australia's first Test against Bangladesh in Darwin. Starc achieved the feat by dismissing Bangladesh opener Shadman Islam in the ninth over, taking his overall Test wicket tally to 434. He surpassed Sri Lankan legend Rangana Herath, who had held the record with 433 wickets.
Milestone match
Starc equals Kapil Dev's record
With his latest achievement, Starc has also matched Indian cricketing legend Kapil Dev on the all-time Test wicket-takers' list.
In his illustrious career, Kapil took 434 wickets from 131 Tests.
The left-arm pacer is now just six scalps away from breaking into the top 10 of all-time Test wicket-takers' list.
South Africa's Dale Steyn is currently 10th with 439 wickets from 93 Tests.
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Starc surpasses Herath
As mentioned, Starc surpassed Sri Lankan legend Rangana Herath to become the highest wicket-taker among left-arm bowlers in the format. In 93 Tests between 1999 and 2018, the former Lankan spinner took 433 wickets at 28.07.
Career highlights
Starc has been a match-winner
Starc is among the best all-time pacers across formats.
Having made his international debut in 2010, the left-arm seamer has been a vital cog in Australia's team.
Powering Australia to several monumental wins, Starc has 18 fifers and 3 match hauls of 10 wickets.
At present, he is also the highest wicket-taker among pacers in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) and the second-highest overall.
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Scaling new heights
Earlier this year, Starc concluded the 2025/26 Ashes campaign with 31 wickets at an average of 19.93. Winning the Player of the Series award, he became the first Australian to take over 30 wickets in an Ashes series since Mitchell Johnson in 2013/14.