Mitchell Starc has overtaken Wasim Akram as the left-arm seamer with the most Test wickets.
Mitchell Starc sets all-time Test record in Brisbane
Starc began the second Ashes 2025/26 Test in Brisbane with 412 wickets under his belt in the format, two short of Akram’s 414. He then proceeded to pick up three wickets in the first two sessions of day one to overhaul the Pakistan legend’s number and get to 415.
Starc’s first victim of the Brisbane Test was Ben Duckett, who was dismissed in the first over of the contest. A full delivery angling into the off stump took Duckett’s outside edge, and Marnus Labuschagne safely grabbed it at first slip to hand Starc his third first-over wicket of the ongoing series.
He then had Ollie Pope chop one onto his stumps in his second over of the day to equal Akram’s record. A wild flash from Harry Brook, who had attracted the ire of Matt Prior for one of his shot selections earlier in the day, then resulted in Starc’s third wicket of the Test as the England batter was caught in the slips by Steve Smith.
Brook’s dismissal took Starc’s tally to 415 Test wickets, the most by a left-arm seamer in the format. Akram moved down to the second spot as a result, with Chaminda Vaas (355), Trent Boult (317) and Mitchell Johnson (313) completing the top five.
2nd Test, Australia vs England
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Most men’s Test wickets by left-arm seamers: Full list
| Position | Player | Span | Mat | Inns | Wickets | BBI | BBM | Ave | Econ | SR | 5WI | 10WM |
| 1 | Mitchell Starc (AUS) | 2011-2025 | 102 | 195 | 415 | 7/58 | 11/94 | 26.53 | 3.42 | 46.5 | 17 | 3 |
| 2 | Wasim Akram (PAK) | 1985-2002 | 104 | 181 | 414 | 7/119 | 11/110 | 23.62 | 2.59 | 54.6 | 25 | 5 |
| 3 | Chaminda Vaas (SL) | 1994-2009 | 111 | 194 | 355 | 7/71 | 14/191 | 29.58 | 2.68 | 66 | 12 | 2 |
| 4 | Trent Boult (NZ) | 2011-2022 | 78 | 149 | 317 | 7/30 | 10/80 | 27.49 | 3 | 54.9 | 10 | 1 |
| 5 | Mitchell Johnson (AUS) | 2007-2015 | 73 | 140 | 313 | 8/61 | 12/127 | 28.4 | 3.33 | 51.1 | 12 | 3 |
| 6 | Zaheer Khan (IND) | 2000-2014 | 92 | 165 | 311 | 7/87 | 10/149 | 32.94 | 3.27 | 60.4 | 11 | 1 |
| 7 | Neil Wagner (NZ) | 2012-2024 | 64 | 122 | 260 | 7/39 | 9/73 | 27.57 | 3.13 | 52.7 | 9 | 0 |
| 8 | Alan Davidson (AUS) | 1953-1963 | 44 | 82 | 186 | 7/93 | 12/124 | 20.53 | 1.97 | 62.2 | 14 | 2 |
| 9 | Trevor Goddard (SA) | 1955-1970 | 41 | 75 | 123 | 7/53 | 8/92 | 26.22 | 1.64 | 95.4 | 5 | 0 |
| 10 | Shaheen Shah Afridi (PAK) | 2018-2025 | 33 | 56 | 121 | 6/51 | 10/94 | 27.91 | 3.16 | 52.9 | 4 | 1 |
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