Starc industry: Marking the Aussie marvel's milestones

06:43 Play video Road to 400: Mitchell Starc's milestone wickets

Wicket No.1

Brendon McCullum c Warner b Starc

Gabba, December 2011

Making his Test debut alongside David Warner and James Pattinson, Starc made an impressive, if self-admittedly somewhat inconsistent, start to his career. Presented with his Baggy Green by Richie Benaud, Starc - on as first change – saw his second delivery jag back to smash into the body of Kiwi legend Brendon McCullum. The wicket came at the end of his fifth over: back of a length and angling in to McCullum, he cut it straight to Warner at point. He would later add Jesse Ryder in much the same way.

"I think the wickets I got were a bit of luck with them, I was a little bit inconsistent but pretty happy with how I went in the end," Starc said at stumps. "I feel like my bowling's been pretty good the last few weeks, it's coming out pretty well, and I've just got to work on that consistency to get that ball swinging, and to see it do a bit today was fantastic.

"Brendon McCullum's a pretty dangerous player, and he can score pretty quickly. But we felt if we could get the ball up there in a good spot and get our fielders in play, we talked about if they're going to drive us through the covers we're happy to take a few runs and create those chances. It was good to see the back of Brendon pretty early."

03:46 Play video The day Warner, Starc and Patto got their caps

Wicket No.50

Suresh Raina lbw Starc

SCG, January 2015

Starc's 50th Test wicket would be one Suresh Raina would surely want to forget, as he collected a pair of ducks in his comeback Test match. This was Starc's second wicket in four balls, having removed India captain Virat Kohli the previous over. His two second-innings wickets went with three in the first innings. With Mitchell Johnson out injured, Starc took the spearhead role in this Test, revealing an aggressive demeanour.

"I just wanted to get out there and bowl fast, get a few up there in the 145s and 150s," Starc said after the Test. "In the Sydney Test being the guy out there to bowl fast and be aggressive and having that confidence leading into this Test may have helped as well, but when the ball starts coming out where you want it and consistently you have more of that confidence in yourself and that probably came out through the Test in my body language.

"I've been in that situation a couple of times where I've played with Mitch (Johnson) and without him, but being the only left-armer and being given a licence to go out there and bowl as fast as I can was enjoyable and to play in Sydney is always good fun."

01:04 Play video Starc makes it an SCG pair for Suresh Raina

Wicket No.100

Kusal Mendis c Nevill b Starc

Galle, August 2016

A bitter-sweet Test this one for Starc. His match figures of 11-94 are his career best, and the scalp of Kusal Mendis in the first innings was the 100th wicket of his career, but Australia lost this Test heavily.

In just his second Test following a long lay-off due to ankle and foot surgery, Starc found swing with both the new and old ball as well as express pace to rip through the home's side's batting order in both innings, on a surface designed to assist the home side's spinners.

South Africa legend Allan Donald – working with the Aussies as a consultant coach for the series – called it "probably the best (individual performance) I've ever seen".

"(In terms of) sustainability and his pace was right up. His last wicket, the 11th wicket, was 148kph late in the day. Swinging it both ways. And a great credit to his stamina, his skill, and just being relentless all day. He's got the world at his feet, there's no doubt," said Donald.

"I know that he's a very humble bloke and he's got that greatness written all over him. It's just a matter of keeping him fit and healthy for years to come."

01:23 Play video Starc joins the 100 Test wickets club

Wicket No.150

Dawid Malan c Shaun Marsh b Starc

Gabba, November 2017

The Gabba features prominently in Starc's list of milestone wickets, and this one was vital in putting his team on the path towards an eventual 10-wicket win. With England winning the toss, Starc took wicket No.149 in the day's third over to remove Alastair Cook, before England fought back strongly. Starc's breakthrough to remove Dawid Malan shortly after reaching his half-century opened the floodgates for Australia as the visitors lost their last five wickets for 57 runs. A well-angled short ball got too big on Malan who top-edged a simple catch to Shaun Marsh at deep square.

02:39 Play video 'Unbelievable' Starc joins Aussie legend in 400 club

Wicket No.200

Suranga Lakmal c Labuschagne b Starc

Gabba, January 2019

The Gabba again, and a double milestone for the 28-year-old Starc. Playing his 50th Test match – this one with the pink ball – he started the day on 199 wickets, and nearly hit 200 in his second over, but an edge from Lahiru Thirimanne fell just short of third slip. Then Starc trapped Thirimanne leg before in his fifth over of the day, but on review the ball tracking had the delivery missing leg stump.

There was another edge short of third slip, until finally the moment came in the day's 46th over as Marnus Labuschagne was able to hold on to an excellent catch just above the grass at third slip after a yorker was speared in at the feet of Suranga Lakmal. Wicket 201 followed the next over, with the same combination removing Dilruwan Perera this time.

03:02 Play video Celebrating Mitchell Starc's 100th Test

Wicket No.250

Rishabh Pant c Paine b Starc

MCG, December 2020

Wicket No.250 came in a Boxing Day Test defeat for Australia, with Starc taking 3-78 from 26 first-innings overs. After Starc started with a first-over wicket (he's done that 21 times in his 100 Tests!) this milestone came in the second over of his third spell of the day, removing the dangerous Rishabh Pant for 29. It served as a double milestone for Australia as it was also wicketkeand captain Tim Paine's 150th Test dismissal. At the time it was a key breakthrough for the Aussies at 5-173 after the home side managed 195 in their first innings. Sadly for Starc, luck was not on his side in this match – India's hero Ajinka Rahane had edged him through a vacant first slip, and seen him dropped twice – once in the slips and then when a difficult diving chance was held, only to spill out as the fielder hit the turf.

Ricky Ponting mused Starc was "bowling better than ever before now", adding in classic Ponting soothsayer fashion: "He's going to go on and take a lot more than 250 Test wickets."

00:45 Play video Starc on day two missed chances, Rahane's ton

Wicket No.300

Rassie van der Dussen b Starc

Gabba, December 2022

A spectacular way to mark a milestone! The delivery so good it left legendary Allan Border bewildered how any batter could have survived it. In a wild two-day Test on a spicy Gabba deck that was later given an official 'below average' rating, Starc claimed his 300th Test wicket in his 74th Test at the same ground he claimed his first. He became the fifth Aussie paceman to reach 300 when the 32-year-old clean bowled Rassie van der Dussen in South Africa's second innings.

Having started its familiar trajectory across the right-handed batter, Starc's delivery hit the seam and cut back so profoundly that the ball snuck through the minimal gap between bat and pad van der Dussen had left in attempting to cover his off stump.

Starc credited his learned ability to tune out the media noise, as well as regularly skipping the IPL to prioritise Test cricket, had helped him reach the landmark.

"If I look at the last couple of years of Test cricket, that decision has certainly helped – just the holistic approach to life and being able to see that when both of us (him and Alyssa) have a little bit of time away from cricket," Starc said after reaching his milestone. "Mentally and physically it's been hugely beneficial and probably paid for itself."

01:05 Play video Starc joins 300 Test wicket club in spectacular style

Wicket No.350

Alick Athanaze c Carey b Starc

Gabba, January 2024

Another milestone ticked off at the Gabba, as Starc joined Wasim Akram and Chaminda Vaas as the only left-arm quicks in Test history with 350 scalps. This one came as part of a four-wicket haul with the pink ball, a full delivery that tempted the left-handed Alick Athanaze into a drive and sending the outside edge through to Alex Carey for a regulation catch.

"Numbers are nice, it's something else to reflect on when I'm done but we've still got a couple of wickets to take," Starc said after play, in typical self-affacing fashion trying to deflect attention from his incredible achievement, and preferring to highlight the accomplishments of his colleagues, who had themselves celebrated milestones this summer (Cummins, Hazlewood 250 Test wickets and Lyon's 500).

"They're nice things to tick off and very humbling. We'll reflect on the personal stuff once we're all finished and on a golf course somewhere."

This milestone put him in sight of the great Dennis Lillee's record of 355, which he ticked off two Tests later in Christchurch, going past it with another catch for Carey, this one down the leg side has he took two in two balls against the Black Caps.

02:26 Play video Starc snares four-for including 350th Test scalp

Wicket No.400

Mikyle Louis lbw Starc

Sabina Park, Jamaica, 2025

Starc had to wait until the second innings of his 100th Test match to notch the 400-wicket milestone, but boy did he make it count. Amid a scintillating opening pink-ball spell of five wickets for six runs, the left-armer trapped Mikyle Lewis lbw with a hooping inswinger that the young West Indies batter didn't even bother to review.

It was the second of three lbw dismissals in Starc's Sabina Park blitz, also taking three wickets in the first over of the innings on his way to taking the fastest five-wicket haul in terms of balls bowled (15), beating Australian Ernie Toshack's 19-ball mark that had stood since 1947.

01:27 Play video Sizzling Starc claims 400th, fastest five-for in Test history

Starc is the fourth Australian bowler and second Aussie seamer to take 400 Test wickets after Shane Warne (708), Glenn McGrath (563) and Nathan Lyon, while he is the 18th bowler overall to reach the mark in Test cricket. "To get to 100 (Tests) … to get to 400 (wickets), they're things I can look back on when I'm done," Starc told cricket.com.au ahead of the dual milestone. "But I'm most fond of being part of attacks that can go out there and win games … win series, they're the things I enjoy the most reflecting on."

Click here to read article