[Watch] Mitchell Starc picks up 350th Test wicket on Day 1 of AUS vs WI 2nd Test; becomes 5th Australian to achieve the milestone
Australian left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc completed an incredible 350 Test wickets on the opening day of the second Test against the West Indies in Brisbane on January 25.
Entering the game two wickets short of the milestone, the 33-year-old wasted little time getting into the thick of the action. Starc removed a dogged Tagenarine Chanderpaul in the second delivery of his fifth over to inch closer to the 350-wicket mark.
In his very next over, the speedster forced youngster Alick Athanaze to drive a full-length delivery outside off-stump and dismissed him caught behind to complete 350 Test wickets. His Aussie teammates immediately mobbed Mitchell Starc on the sensational accomplishment.
Here is a video of Mitchell Starc's 350th Test wicket:
Starc became only the fifth Australian to achieve the 350-Test wicket landmark after Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Dennis Lillee, and Nathan Lyon. The veteran pacer is playing his 87th Test and has picked up an outstanding 14 five-wicket hauls and two 10-wicket match hauls.
Starc also has over 300 wickets combined in the white-ball formats and was part of Australia's ODI World Cup winning teams in 2015 and 2023. He also played a massive role in helping Australia clinch the World Test Championship (WTC) title last year and their maiden T20 World Cup in 2021.
Australia assert their dominance over the West Indies at lunch on Day 1 of the Second Test
Australia carried their momentum from the opening Test to the first morning of the second Test in Brisbane with a spectacular bowling display. Coming off a 10-wicket victory at Adelaide, the Aussie pacers were immediately on the money in the day-night encounter after losing the toss and fielding first.
The star of the first Test, Josh Hazlewood, began the West Indian batting procession by picking up skipper Kraigg Brathwaite in the eighth over of the innings. After losing an early wicket, the visitors displayed resilience and marched to 42/1 before Pat Cummins broke a 33-run stand by removing Kirk McKenzie.
The floodgates opened soon after as Mitchell Starc picked up the next three wickets to rattle the West Indian top order and reduce them to 64/5 in the 26th over at lunch on Day 1.
A victory in the ongoing Test will result in the Aussies clean-sweeping their home summer after they demolished Pakistan 3-0 in the previous series.
Meanwhile, the West Indies have not beaten Australia in a Test match since the home series in 2003. Their last victory in a Test Down Under came way back in the 1996-97 tour.