Australia Vs England, Ashes 2nd Test Day 1: Mitchell Starc Equals Wasim Akram's Long-Standing Record - Check Details

Mitchell Starc has equalled Wasim Akram's record for most wickets taken by a left-arm pacer in Test cricket. The 35-year-old from Baulkham Hills achieved the feat on Day 1 of the Australia vs England, 2nd Ashes 2025 Test at the Gabba, Brisbane, Thursday.

England captain Ben Stokes won the toss and chose to bat, but Starc immediately dented their plans.

Ben Duckett edged an outswinger to Marnus Labuschagne at slip, continuing Starc's remarkable streak of striking in the opening over of an innings.

Moments later, in the third over, Ollie Pope fell for a duck, chopping on. That gave Starc two wickets in four balls, a devastating start that silenced England's dressing room.

With those scalps, Mitchell Starc equalled Pakistan great Wasim Akram's Test haul of 414 wickets in 104. Starc reached the mark in two fewer matches, but has taken more innings, 195 as against Akram's 181.

Left-Arm Pacers With Most Test Wickets - Top 10

They are the only left-arm pacers to have breached the 400-wicket mark. Sri Lankan legend Chaminda Vaas is third on the list with 355 wickets in 111 matches, ahead of Trent Boult (317) of New Zealand, Mitchell Johnson (313) of Australia, and Zaheer Khan (311) of India -- the only left-arm pacers to reach the 300-wicket mark in the traditional format of the game.

More Records For Starc

Mitchell Starc has now taken 26 wickets in the first over of a Test innings, trailing only England great James Anderson's tally of 29. The Gabba strike extended a sequence that began at Sabina Park (vs West Indies) and continued at Optus Stadium (vs England, both innings), making this the fourth consecutive innings where he has struck in the opening over.

In the first AUS vs ENG Test at Optus Stadium, he claimed figures of 7/58 and 3/55 to set up a stunning eight-wicket win inside two days. And at the Gabba, he has already put England in a precarious position.

Zak Crawley managed a couple of boundaries to ease the pressure, but the early collapse meant Joe Root was forced in earlier than expected.

Root survived a sharp chance when Steve Smith dived full length but couldn't cling on. The pair, however, has stitched a half-century stand for the third wicket.

As the England innings progresses, Starc's role will become even more prominent. His ability to exploit the pink ball under lights, in day-night Tests, has become a defining weapon for Australia. He, of course, is known as the "pink-ball king".

The Aussies, for the record, have dropped Nathan Lyon for only the second time in a home Test since his debut in 2011 as they fielded an all-pace attack.

Meanwhile, England's preparations for the second Ashes Test were overshadowed by the sudden death of the former England batter, Robin Smith.

"Just last week he was there chatting with the Lions who were out here," Stokes said on Wednesday, the eve of the second Test in Brisbane. "He was at the game last week and talking to people and sharing, going into quite a lot of detail about his life and opening up quite a lot."

England wore black armbands in memory of Smith, who passed away in Perth last week.

“It hits you a bit harder, I think, when you realise that it was only a week ago,” he added.

ICC World Test Championship 2025-27 Standings

Australia, having won all four matches so far in this cycle, lead the WTC table with a perfect 100 PCT. South Africa, the defending champions, are second, with 75, ahead of Sri Lanka. Pakistan and India completed the top five in the nine-team table.

The Proteas recently completed a historic Test series sweep of India in India, while New Zealand, the inaugural champions, started their campaign with a series against the visiting West Indies.

And they have taken complete control of the first Test, being played at Hagley Oval, Christchurch. On Day 3, the Kiwis have gone past 400 in their second innings, for a lead close to 500 runs.

Australia Vs England, 2nd Ashes Test Day 1: Tea Report

Despite a shaky start, England have recovered, and at a fast pace, with Zack Crawley (61* off 80) and Joe Root (32* off 69) taking on Australia's change bowlers, featuring Michael Neser, Scott Boland and Brendan Doggett.

The England pair have added 93 runs in 129 balls for the third wicket as the Aussie trio failed to capitalise on the dream start given by imperious Mitchell Starc, who equalled Pakistan great Wasim Akram's record for most Test wickets by a left-arm pacer.

At Tea on Day 1, England were 98/2 in 24 overs. The visitors, having lost the first Test inside two days, have indeed clawed their way back in the pink ball match.