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AUS vs SL: Australia is probably having the most thrilling test series of their WTC campaign, though the Aussies have already made their way into the WTC finals of 2025, which will be played between the Australians and the South Africans. The Aussies will defend their title won in 2023, while the Proteas have made the cut for the first time.
The first test marked several wonders for Australia, as Usman Khawaja, the opening batter, relived his high standards, scoring his maiden double-hundred in test cricket and almost 50 runs more than what he scored throughout an entire series in the BGT after he was criticised over his sudden dip in test form.
Veteran batter Steve Smith joined the list of elite batters in the longest format of the game, as he completed 10,000 runs in test cricket. Smith’s hundred was immediately followed by another breathtaking hundred from debutant batter Josh Inglis, who scored a terrific hundred on his test debut, which came in just 90 balls.
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After declaring the total, Australian speedster Mitchell Starc joined forces alongside veteran spinner Nathan Lyon and a new pace bowler and went on to pick his 700th international wicket. He dismissed the Lankan opener, Karunaratne, as his 700th wicket.
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AUS vs SL: Mitchell Starc joined the elite list of Australian bowlers with 700 wickets
4. Shane Warne
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The veteran spinner Shane Warne went on to pick 700 wickets alone in the longest format of the game, as he still remains the second-highest wicket-taker in the format as well as across all formats. Warne, throughout his career, picked 1001 wickets playing both red-ball and white-ball cricket. Warne was the first bowler in the history of Australian cricket to pick 700+ wickets.
3. Glenn McGrath
The veteran fast bowler became the fourth fast bowler in the history of the game to have picked more than 700 international wickets. McGrath, who seemingly had the shortest career among the former greats crossing 700 international wickets, picked 949 wickets in his 14-year career, surpassing the likes of greats Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Courtney Walsh, and Shaun Pollock. Jimmy Anderson became the only pacer to surpass him in the wickets tally.
2. Brett Lee
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Australian speed sensation and veteran fast bowler Brett Lee probably had the most widespread success despite the shortest of international careers. With his career not ranging more than a decade, he amassed 392 innings throughout his career, with only Ravi Ashwin acing 700 wickets despite having played fewer innings than Lee. Brett Lee still remains an inspiration for every budding fast bowler, as the speed gun picked 718 wickets in his career across all formats.
1. Mitchell Starc
The modern-day great fast bowler for the Aussies, Mitchell Starc, is the perfect match-winner alongside current skipper Pat Cummins. Starc has played since 2010 in the Aussie side, as he played nearly 400 innings for Australia and finally picked 700 wickets by combining his efforts across all formats.
The left-handed fast bowler picked the most wickets for Australia in the World Cups after McGrath, as he was also the Man of the Series in the 2015 ICC Cricket World Cup. He also won two World Cups, one T20 World Cup, and one WTC final with the Australians; the Champions Trophy is the only trophy missing from his cabinet, which he might look to clinch in the upcoming event of the ICC Champions Trophy in 2025.
Special mention includes Muralidharan [Sri Lanka], Jimmy Anderson [England], Anil Kumble [India], Wasim Akram [Pakistan], Stuart Broad [England], Shaun Pollock [South Africa], Waqar Younis [Pakistan], Tim Southee [New Zealand], Ravichandran Ashwin [India], Chaminda Vaas [Sri Lanka], Courtney Walsh [West Indies], Shakib Al Hasan [Bangladesh], Harbhajan Singh [India], and Daniel Vettori [New Zealand] are all bowlers to have picked 700+ wickets in their international cricket careers.
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