Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc has broken Lasith Malinga’s big World Cup record and made new history in cricket.
Starc, who is 34 years old, took the wicket of Bangladesh’s Tanzid Hasan in the fourth big game of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. This made him the top wicket-taker in both T20 and ODI World Cups.
Starc now has a new record of 95 wickets in ODI and T20 World Cups combined, passing the famous Sri Lankan player, and he’s still going strong.
Starc has taken 65 wickets in the ODI World Cup and has already grabbed 30 in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.
Malinga used to hold the record with 94 wickets – 56 in the 50-over World Cup and 38 in the T20 World Cup.
Bangladesh’s experienced allrounder Shakib Al Hasan is third on the list of the top wicket-takers. Shakib has 92 wickets and could overtake Starc in the current T20 tournament in the Caribbean.
New Zealand’s Trent Boult is fourth with 87 wickets, and the retired spin master Muttiah Muralitharan is fifth with 79 wickets.
Boult has already retired from the T20 World Cup and since the next ODI World Cup is three years away, it’s very doubtful that the New Zealand fast bowler will participate in that big event.
Most wickets in Men’s World Cups (ODIs and T20)
S. No. Player Matches Wickets ODI/T20
- Mitchell Starc 52* 95 65/30
- Lasith Malinga 60 94 56/38
- Shakib Al Hasan 77* 92 43/49
- Trent Boult 47 87 53/34
- Muttiah Muralidaran 49 79 68/11
Except for Shakib, no other player seems to be able to challenge Starc’s record. Shakib hasn’t said much about his future in international cricket, but he appears healthy and could play for several more years.
Meanwhile, Starc is expected to play a major part in Australia’s attempt to win all three major ICC trophies – the World Test Championship, the ODI World Cup, and the T20 World Cup. So far, the left-arm fast bowler has had a low-key tournament and would want to improve his performance quickly.
