Brisbane: More than seven years after he claimed his first Test wicket at the Gabba, pace spearhead Mitchell Starc has become the 17th Australian to register 200 Test wickets after striking on day one of the series opener against Sri Lanka at the same venue on Thursday.
The 28-year-old, who entered his 50th Test one shy of the personal milestone, scalped the wicket of Suranga Lakmal to join the illustrious club. With his 200th wicket, Starc has equalled with former right-hand fast bowler Jeff Thomson, who played 51 Tests.
Starc’s first wicket in the longest format was former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum. He has been most successful against Dimuth Karunaratne of Sri Lanka, Murali Vijay of India and English pair Alastair Cook and Jonny Bairstow.
The paceman’s strike rate of 51.2 is the second-best by any Australian with 200 or more wickets, behind his former team mate Mitchell Johnson’s 51.1.
[source_without_link]ANI[/source_without_link]