Australia’s left-arm spearhead sets a new benchmark as the most prolific wicket-taker in white-ball World Cups
Mitchell Starc has become the most prolific wicket-taker in World Cup history, after claiming a wicket in the first over against Bangladesh in Australia’s first Super Eights match of the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean.
Starc’s 95th wicket in World Cups – one more than Sri Lanka legend Lasith Malinga – came from his 52nd match, as Australia made the perfect start to their Super Eights campaign after winning the toss and opting to bowl.
In his eighth ICC World Cup (three ODI, five T20I), the 34-year-old collected the wicket of opening batter Tanzid Hasan to set a new benchmark at ICC global showpiece events.
It came almost 12 years on from his first, when Irishman Paul Stirling was caught by Shane Watson at Colombo on September 19, 2012.
Starc, who sent a shudder through the Aussie camp in their opening win over Oman when he pulled up late with cramp, went on to take 10 wickets in that T20 tournament, which was his maiden World Cup. He was 22, and on his way.
Since, he has earned a reputation as a big tournament, big match player, and his remarkable World Cup record is Exhibit A in that testimony.
The left-arm quick was player of the tournament at the 2015 ODI event, where his burst of 6-28 in a low-scoring thriller against co-hosts New Zealand was instantly a classic World Cup performance. A month later he seared himself into the consciousness of every cricket fan in the world, when he ripped out Black Caps ace Brendon McCullum with a searing yorker in the first over of the final to put Australia on the path to another World Cup win.
Four years later Starc became the first player in ODI World Cup history to be the leading wicket-taker at multiple tournaments. Australia bowed out in the semi-finals but again Starc produced one of the tournament’s most memorable moments when he scythed through Ben Stokes with a stunning in-swinging yorker.
In 2021 he was one of a handful of Australians to become a dual format World Cup winner when Aaron Finch’s side stormed to a shock win, and Starc became a three-time winner last year when he added another 16 wickets to his remarkable ODI World Cup record.
Only Glenn McGrath (71) and Muthiah Muralitharan (68) have taken more than Starc’s 65 wickets at ODI World Cups, though the likelihood is the veteran quick will finish on that tally; in the past 12 months he has hinted at retirement from the format with an eye to playing 100 Tests while also prolonging his T20 franchise career.
“Moving forward, I am certainly closer to the end of my career than the start,” he said last month. “One format may drop off. There is a long time before the next one-day World Cup, and whether that format continues for me or not – it may open doors for more franchise cricket.”