Starc Tops Akram’s Test Wicket Tally and Shows Pure Respect After Feat

Mitchell Starc walked off The Gabba with six wickets, a buzzing crowd behind him, and a historic number beside his name. Australia needed a jolt early in the 2nd Ashes Test, and he delivered it with a spell that sliced through England’s top order and tilted the contest in the home side’s favour.

His haul pushed him to 418 Test wickets, making him the highest wicket-taking left-arm fast bowler in history. The number overtakes Pakistan legend Wasim Akram’s 414, a towering landmark in the sport. 

Respect Before Celebration

When the long broadcast interview arrived, Starc didn’t lean into the achievement. Instead, he offered something far more grounded.

“Wasim is still the pinnacle of left-armers and right there with the best ever with the ball. So yes, I think he’s still better,” he told Michael Vaughan, sounding almost reluctant to linger on his own feat.

That humility didn’t surprise those who know him, but the timing did. Here he was, rewriting a major line in cricket’s record book, and yet he immediately pointed the spotlight backward toward the legend who came before him.

Wasim Akram responded with warmth online, calling Starc’s rise a product of “incredible hard work” and wishing him continued success. When the message went out, the crowd screens replayed it, prompting a ripple of applause around the ground.

A Day of Shifting Momentum

England weren’t completely drowned in the moment. Joe Root, battling a lean run, scratched, settled, and then found rhythm. His century steadied England to 325 for 9, a total that looked bleak early on but grew respectable as the lights settled over Brisbane.

Still, Starc owned the day. His rhythm varied beautifully, never repetitive, always probing. That shot from Root late in the evening session had the crowd on its feet, but every time Starc returned, the game tilted again. The second Ashes Test is still up for grabs, and the whole script could change fast depending on how Australia carries Starc’s momentum in the live action.