Australian front-line pacer Mitchell Starc, on Saturday, etched his name in record books as he became the fastest bowler to complete 200 wickets in One-Day Internationals (ODIs).
Starc accomplished the landmark in the recently-concluded third and final ODI against Zimbabwe, which the hosts lost by three wickets. The left-arm speedster scripted history when he dismissed Ryan Burl in the 37th over to complete 200 wickets in ODIs.
Starc reached the 200-wickets milestone in 102 matches, surpassing legends like Saqlain Mushtaq, Brett Lee, Allan Donald, Waqar Younis and Shane Warne.
Fastest to reach 200 ODI wickets:
- Mitchell Starc – 102 matches
- Saqlain Mushtaq – 104 matches
- Brett Lee – 112 matches
- Allan Donald – 117 matches
- Waqar Younis – 118 matches
- Shane Warne – 125 matches
Speaking about the match, Zimbabwe defeated Australia to record their first-ever victory down under. Right-arm spinner Burl was the star of the show for the tourists, picking up a brilliant five-wicket haul to help the visitors pack Australia for 141.
In response, Opener Tadiwanashe Marumani (35 off 47) and captain Regis Chakabva (37 not out) made valuable contributions in Zimbabwe’s successful chase.
“Zimbabwe were great with the ball, had us in trouble. You never take things for granted because, in international cricket, you can get beaten on any given day. They showed it today. We gave ourselves a half-decent chance with the ball, but it wasn’t to be. Hazlewood and Starc are two of the best in the world for a long time across formats. For a long period of time. And that’s some achievement for fast bowlers these days. Warner also keeps doing this for a long time,” said Australia captain Aaron Finch after the game.
