Mitchell Starc has climbed to the top of the World Test Championship’s all-time bowling charts, overtaking Australian teammates Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon after producing a devastating 10-wicket match haul against Bangladesh in Mackay. The left-arm fast bowler finished the second Test with figures of 10 for 51, taking his overall WTC tally to 234 wickets. Cummins and Lyon are joint second with 228 wickets each, making the Australian trio the only bowlers to have crossed 200 wickets in the competition.
Starc's performance powered Australia to an innings-and-51-run victory inside two days and helped the hosts draw the two-match series 1-1 after Bangladesh had stunned them in the opening Test at Darwin.
Starc tears through Bangladesh
The 36-year-old laid the foundations for Australia's victory with a destructive spell in Bangladesh's first innings, returning figures of 6 for 12 as the visitors were bowled out for just 64.
Starc's opening burst left Bangladesh reeling at 12 for five and gave Australia control of the contest despite their own batting difficulties on a lively Mackay surface. Eighteen wickets fell on the opening day as fast bowlers from both sides exploited the conditions. The veteran returned in the second innings to claim another four wickets for 39 runs. Bangladesh were dismissed for 95, leaving Australia with a comprehensive victory and Starc with the fourth 10-wicket match haul of his Test career.
Cummins, Lyon overtaken
Starc's 234 WTC wickets have come at an average of 24.25. His record includes eight five-wicket hauls, while his best innings figures in the championship stand at 7 for 58. Cummins and Lyon, both on 228 wickets, now occupy the next two positions on the all-time list. The dominance of the three Australians reflects their central role in a period during which Australia have consistently competed near the top of the World Test Championship. Starc has also been the competition's standout bowler in the ongoing 2025-27 WTC cycle. He now has 58 wickets from 10 matches at an average of 16.98, including four five-wicket hauls.
Another landmark in Test career
The Mackay Test delivered more than one record for Starc. His 10 wickets took his overall Test tally to 445, moving him into the top 10 among the highest wicket-takers in the history of the format. He went past South African fast-bowling great Dale Steyn during the match. Starc had entered the Bangladesh series with 433 Test wickets and has continued climbing the all-time list during a prolific period late in his career. The achievement further strengthens Starc's standing among the most successful fast bowlers of his generation and adds another milestone after he passed 400 Test wickets in 2025.
Player of the Series
Starc was named Player of the Match for his Mackay performance as well as Player of the Series after collecting 12 wickets across the two Tests.
Australia's emphatic response was particularly significant after Bangladesh's nine-wicket victory in Darwin, their first Test win on Australian soil. The visitors were unable to reproduce that performance in Mackay, where Starc's pace and movement overwhelmed their batting order.
Cameron Green's half-century proved important after Australia's own top order struggled, while Cummins and Lyon backed Starc with the ball to ensure Bangladesh never recovered. For Starc, however, the series will be remembered for another place in the record books. Already Australia's most prolific left-arm fast bowler in Tests, he now stands alone as the leading wicket-taker since the World Test Championship began in 2019.