Brisbane, Dec 4 (NationPress) Mitchell Starc, Australia's veteran fast bowler, has shattered the record for the most wickets by a left-arm pacer in the history of Test cricket on the first day of the second Ashes Test in Brisbane on Thursday. The 35-year-old achieved this milestone by taking the wicket of Harry Brook for 31, caught by Steve Smith at second slip, marking his 415th Test wicket and surpassing Wasim Akram's previous record of 414 after striking with just the second delivery of his new spell.

Notably, Starc made his Test debut at the same venue against New Zealand in 2011 and is among only three bowlers, alongside Nathan Lyon and Ravichandran Ashwin, to have claimed at least 350 Test wickets since January 2015.

The legendary Pakistani bowler was quick to congratulate Starc on his achievement. "Super Starc! Proud of you, mate. Your incredible hard work sets you apart, and it was only a matter of time before you crossed my tally of wickets. I am pleased to give this to you! Go well, and keep soaring to new heights in your stellar career," Akram shared on X.

Akram took 104 Tests to reach his 414 wickets, while Starc accomplished this feat in just 102 matches. In the opening match of the series in Perth, Starc delivered a remarkable performance, recording figures of 7-58, becoming only the 21st bowler and the 13th Australian to achieve 100 wickets in Ashes history. Currently, only Nathan Lyon (110) and Starc have taken over 100 wickets in the Ashes among the active players.

Starc now ranks 16th on the all-time wicket-takers list and is poised to surpass both Harbhajan Singh of India (417) and Shaun Pollock of South Africa (421) during the ongoing pink-ball Test. Additionally, he could equal or exceed Sir Richard Hadlee's tally of 431 Test wickets in this series, having reached the milestone in only 23 Tests.

In this match, Starc provided Australia with a phenomenal start under the pink ball, reducing England to 5/2 within the first three overs. He dismissed Ben Duckett for a duck on the last ball of the first over and then sent Ollie Pope back for zero in his following over.

However, Zak Crawley and Joe Root managed to stabilize England's innings, reaching tea at 98/2. The pair forged a 117-run partnership off 152 balls for the third wicket before Crawley was dismissed by Michael Neser.

Brook and Root then steadied the innings with a 54-run partnership for the fourth wicket before Starc claimed Brook's wicket, marking his 415th scalp and securing his place as the most successful left-arm bowler in Test cricket history.

Skipper Ben Stokes (17) and Jamie Smith (0) followed soon after, as England reached 235/6 by the time of this report, with Root remaining strong at 88 and Will Jacks at 17.