Brisbane, Aug 5 (IANS) Veteran Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc is on the verge of surpassing fast-bowling legends Kapil Dev and Dale Steyn on the all-time Test wicket-takers list as Australia prepare for a two-match World Test Championship series against Bangladesh, starting on August 13 in Darwin.
Left-arm pacer Starc, 36, currently has 433 Test scalps to his name. A solid performance against Bangladesh could see him eclipse former India captain Dev (434) and South African great Steyn (439) and break into the top 10 wicket-takers in men’s Test history.
However, Starc insisted individual milestones remain secondary as Australia aim to secure points for next year’s World Test Championship final at The Oval. “It means I’ve played a bit. It is cool and very humbling to be spoken about it with those guys. But that stuff doesn’t mean a whole lot while you’re still playing. You don’t get too far ahead,” Starc was quoted as saying by the ICC on Wednesday
Australia currently lead the WTC standings, as the Bangladesh series kicks off a demanding seven-month Test schedule that includes away matches against South Africa, followed by series against New Zealand and India.
Starc has been in stellar form during the current WTC cycle, leading the charts with 46 wickets from eight Tests, including a 31-wicket haul in Australia’s recent Ashes triumph over England. He attributed his longevity to constant evolution and physical conditioning, as well as subtle tactical adjustments for sustained success at the highest level.
“When you’re 36 and you’ve been around for 16 years, you’d like to think you’ve improved or got better at something. You’re also around that long because you’re able to develop and learn and improve. And you add in a few things like the wobble seam, consistency and other things. I have a pretty clear mindset on it all,” he added.
–IANS
nr/bc
