(Source SkySports)
Senior Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc has cemented his place in cricket history by surpassing Sri Lankan legend Lasith Malinga in a prestigious list of top bowlers.
Starc showcased his prowess earlier today in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024 Super 8s, which commenced two days ago in Trinidad. In the opening match of this round, South Africa clinched a tight victory over co-hosts USA by 18 runs.
Yesterday, reigning champions England defeated West Indies by 8 wickets, while India triumphed over Afghanistan by 47 runs. Today at the Sir Viv Richards Stadium, 2021 champions Australia took on Najmul Hossain Shanto’s Bangladesh, who finished as Group D runners-up.
Despite interruptions from rain, Australia secured a comfortable win thanks to stellar performances in both bowling and batting. Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins excelled with the ball, while David Warner and Travis Head led the charge with the bat.
Australia’s triumph catapulted them to the top of Group 1, which also includes powerhouse India. Australia will face Afghanistan next before meeting India in their final Super 8 match. Ahead of these crucial encounters, Mitchell Starc set a new world record of his own.
Mitchell Starc now holds the record for the most wickets taken in World Cup history.
In the first innings of today’s match, Mitchell Starc surpassed the 2014 T20 World Cup-winning captain Lasith Malinga by taking the wicket of opening batsman Tanzid Hasan with just his third ball. This achievement now places Starc as the leading wicket-taker in white-ball World Cups across both 50-over and 20-over formats, excluding the Champions Trophy.
Starc’s tally of 95 World Cup wickets now edges past his previous tie with Lasith Malinga at 94. Among these, Starc has taken 30 wickets in T20 World Cups, boasting a superior average in ICC white-ball events compared to Malinga.
With an average of 21.11, Starc surpasses Malinga’s 21.74. He achieved his 95th wicket in World Cups during his 52nd match, and he remains poised to potentially reach a century of wickets by the conclusion of this T20 World Cup. Should Australia advance to their third T20 World Cup final, Starc will have the opportunity to play an additional four matches.
Following the upcoming match against Afghanistan, Starc is guaranteed to participate in at least two more games beyond the encounter on June 23rd at Arnos Vale Stadium. Notably, Starc stands as the sole active player alongside Shakib Al Hasan, who has claimed 92 wickets from 77 matches, in the top five list of highest World Cup wicket-takers.
Here are the top five highest wicket-takers in World Cup history across One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is):
1. Mitchell Starc – 95 wickets (65 ODIs, 30 T20Is)
2. Lasith Malinga – 94 wickets (56 ODIs, 38 T20Is)
3. Shakib Al Hasan – 92 wickets (43 ODIs, 49 T20Is)
4. Trent Boult – 87 wickets (53 ODIs, 34 T20Is)
5. Muttiah Muralitharan – 79 wickets (68 ODIs, 11 T20Is)
