Australia ace pacer Mitchell Starc created a major record in international cricket. On his birthday, the 35-year-old picked up the wicket of Dimuth Karunaratne to complete 700 wickets in international cricket. He has claimed 376 wickets in red-ball cricket, 244 in ODIs and 79 in T20Is. The Sydney-born also became the fourth Australia international to join the elite club. Shane Warne (1001), Glenn McGrath (949) and Brett Lee (718) are ahead of him in the list.
Starc also joined Shakib Al Hasan to become the second active cricketer to name 700 international wickets to his name. Among current active Indian cricketers, only Ravindra Jadeja is close with 597 international wickets to his name.
Australia dominate Sri Lanka in Galle
Australia put up a stunning batting performance in the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. Usman Khawaja, who underperformed in the five-match series against India, returned to form, scoring 232 runs. His opening partner, Travis Head made 57 runs off 40 deliveries as Australia had a tremendous start at Galle International Cricket Stadium.
Captain Steve Smith also stepped up with the bat. He hit back-to-back centuries against India and now, a ton against Sri Lanka in the sub-continent. Debutant Josh Inglis also established his authority in Test cricket. Known for playing well in spin-friendly conditions, the 29-year-old was handed a debut in Galle and he didn’t disappoint. The keeper-batter made 102 runs and also created history by scoring the second-fastest century on Test debut.
Courtesy of a solid batting performance, Australia posted 654/6 in the first innings. Sri Lankan bowlers had a rough time in the middle as they clearly lacked a plan against quality Aussie batters. Meanwhile, the hosts also disappointed with the bat. They lost three wickets with 30 on board and now need something extraordinary to turn the tide in their favour.