Starc surpasses Wasim Akram to become highest-wicket-taking left-hander

Mitchell Starc etched his name into Test cricket history on the opening day of the Brisbane Test, overtaking Pakistan great Wasim Akram to become the highest wicket-taker among left-arm fast bowlers in the format.

Starc reached the landmark when he dismissed Harry Brook in the second session, drawing a slip catch from an attempted drive. The wicket was his 415th in Tests, taking him past Akram’s long-standing record of 414. Akram had achieved his tally in 104 Tests and 181 innings, while Starc crossed the mark in his 102nd Test and 195th innings.

England, after a shaky start under lights at the Gabba, recovered to reach 196 for four at the end of the second session. They were reduced to two for five inside three overs, but Joe Root and Zak Crawley steadied the innings with a brisk counter-attack.

Crawley struck 76 from 93 deliveries before falling in the second session, while Root grew in authority after an uncertain beginning to remain unbeaten on 68.

Starc finished the day as the standout performer with the ball, returning figures of three for 36. His breakthrough against Brook also broke a threatening fourth-wicket stand of 54. Brook had scored 31 from 33 balls in an aggressive cameo marked by cuts, pulls, and ramps before Starc cut his innings short. The record moment carried added weight given Akram’s towering legacy as the archetype of the modern left-arm fast bowler. Starc’s new mark places him alone at the summit of that elite list.

Root continued in classic Test tempo alongside captain Ben Stokes, who was unbeaten on 14 at the close. Australia missed a late chance when Stokes was dropped in the slips off Scott Boland near the end of the session.