Mitchell Starc overtook Brett Lee during the first ODI against Pakistan to enter an elite list of bowlers.
Australia kicked off their home summer on Monday (November 4) against Pakistan, who are playing their first ODI in nearly a year, since the 2023 World Cup. Captain Pat Cummins won the toss at the Melbourne Cricket Ground and chose to put Pakistan in to bat.
After a tentative start from the Abdullah Shafique and Saim Ayub, Australia struck in the third over. Mitchell Starc moved his length a touch fuller and induced an inside edge from Ayub, which cannoned back onto the stumps.
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The left-armer struck again four overs later, as Shafique failed to sway out of the way of a short one, and it took the faintest of edges on the way through to wicketkeeper Josh Inglis.
Starc's first spell read 6-2-19-2, and his first couple of wickets helped him overtake Brett Lee to set a new ODI record in Australia.
Fastest to 100 ODI wickets in Australia, full list: Mitchell Starc beats Brett Lee
The wickets were Starc's 242nd and 243rd in ODI cricket, and his 100th and 101st on Australian turf. He is now the fastest-ever to the mark of 100 ODI wickets in Australia, doing so in 54 innings. Brett Lee was the previous quickest, in 55 innings. Glenn McGrath is now third on this list, getting his 100th ODI wicket in Australia in his 56th innings.
| Name | Team | Matches | Wickets | Innings taken to reach 100 wickets |
| Mitchell Starc | Australia | 54* | 101* | 54 |
| Brett Lee | Australia | 95 | 169 | 55 |
| Glenn McGrath | Australia | 96 | 161 | 56 |
| Shane Warne | Australia | 85 | 136 | 61 |
| Craig McDermott | Australia | 88 | 125 | 71 |
| Steve Waugh | Australia | 153 | 101 | 93 |
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He is also the sixth player to reach the milestone of 100 ODI wickets in Australia, and joint-fifth with Steve Waugh for the most ODI wickets in the country at the time of writing. Starc's strike rate of 26.1 balls per wicket is the best of these six players, and the second-best among players with at least 50 ODI wickets in Australia, only behind Clint McKay's 24.7.
Starc is also the 30th player to take 100 ODI wickets in any single country. Shaun Pollock holds the record here, with 197 wickets in South Africa.
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