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Mitchell Starc cemented his legacy in cricket by becoming the highest wicket-taker in World Cup history during Australia’s Super 8 clash against Bangladesh at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, North Sound, Antigua. Starc reached this milestone by taking a wicket in the very first over of the match, surpassing the illustrious Lasith Malinga‘s record of 94 wickets in 60 World Cup matches.
Record-breaking achievement
Starc’s historic 95th wicket came in his 52nd World Cup match, a remarkable feat achieved across both ODI and T20I World Cups. He dismissed Bangladesh opener Tanzid Hasan shortly after Australia won the toss and chose to bowl, setting the tone for a dominant performance. The match also featured a stellar match-winning performance from Pat Cummins, who claimed the first hat-trick of the T20 World Cup 2024 that ultimately played a big part in Australia’s victory.
Mitchell Starc’s impressive T20 World Cup record
This T20 World Cup marks Starc’s eighth ICC tournament and his fourth appearance in the T20 World Cup. His debut in the T20 World Cup in 2012 saw him take 10 wickets in six matches at an average of 16.40. In the 2014 edition, he managed to claim 5 wickets in four matches. During the 2021 tournament where Australia won the trophy, Starc picked up nine wickets in seven matches, and in the 2022 home edition, he took three wickets in three matches. In the current 2024 edition, he has already taken three wickets, bringing his total T20 World Cup tally to 30 wickets.
Also READ: Brett Lee to Pat Cummins: Players with hat-trick in ICC Men’s T20 World Cup
Dominance in ODI World Cups
Starc has also been a formidable force in ODI World Cups, amassing 65 wickets. In the 2015 edition held in Australia, he took 22 wickets at an average of 10.18, followed by another stellar performance in the 2019 edition, where he claimed 27 wickets from 10 matches at an average of 18.59. In the 2023 edition, he added 16 wickets at an average of 33.00 from 10 matches to his impressive resume.
Top wicket-takers in World Cup matches for both T20I and ODI formats combined:
Mitchell Starc (Australia)
- Matches: 52
- Wickets: 95
- Average: 21.11
- T20I Wickets: 30
- ODI Wickets: 65
Lasith Malinga (Sri Lanka)
- Matches: 60
- Wickets: 94
- Average: 21.74
- T20I Wickets: 38
- ODI Wickets: 56
Shakib Al Hasan (Bangladesh)
- Matches: 77
- Wickets: 92
- Average: 26.96
- T20I Wickets: 49
- ODI Wickets: 43
A cricketing legend
Starc’s contributions to ICC tournaments have been instrumental for Australia. He now ranks third on the all-time list of wicket-takers in 50-over World Cups, behind only Muttiah Muralitharan (68) and Glenn McGrath (71). In T20 World Cups, Starc is currently 16th on the all-time wicket-takers list, led by Shakib Al Hasan with 49 wickets.
