Alyssa Healy Witnesses Starc's 700 Wickets Milestone

Australian left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc celebrated his 35th birthday in style, achieving a major milestone by becoming the sixth-fastest bowler to take 700 international wickets. This impressive feat was accomplished during the first Test against Sri Lanka at the Galle International Stadium, where Starc dismissed Dimuth Karunaratne on the second day of the match.

Starc has joined an elite list of bowlers, including Muttiah Muralitharan, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shane Warne, Waqar Younis, and Wasim Akram, with 373 innings to his name. Throughout his international career, Starc has taken 377 wickets in Tests, 244 in ODIs, and 79 in T20Is. This achievement puts him in an exclusive club of only 10 pacers who have more international wickets than him.

The Australian team also celebrated other notable milestones on the day, with Usman Khawaja scoring a double century and Steve Smith reaching 10,000 Test runs. Starc's achievement is a testament to his skill and dedication to the sport, and he is now the 4th-highest Test wicket-taker for Australia with 377 scalps, and the 4th-highest ODI wicket-taker with 244 scalps. In T20Is, Starc is the 2nd-highest wicket-taker for Australia with 79 scalps.

Starc's milestone is a significant achievement in the world of cricket, and his name will now be etched alongside some of the greatest bowlers in the history of the sport. As the cricket world continues to evolve, Starc's achievement serves as a reminder of the importance of hard work, perseverance, and dedication to achieving greatness.