Long-standing ODI wicket-taking record up for grabs for the left-arm quick in upcoming Caribbean tri-series
Starc sets sights on taking Saqlain's record
A refreshed and reinvigorated Mitchell Starc has the chance to claim one of ODI cricket's oldest records when he returns to action in the Caribbean from next week.
Starc, who has been out of action for six months following ankle surgery, has long been threatening to reach the 100 ODI wickets milestone in record time, eclipsing the mark of 53 matches set by Pakistan's Saqlain Mushtaq in May 1997.
Quick Single: Starc ready for full throttle comeback
Currently, the New South Welshman has 90 wickets in 46 games – meaning he requires 10 more in six matches.
Starc established himself as arguably the world's preeminent ODI fast bowler during a stunning 2015 World Cup and yesterday declared himself "fit, strong and ready to play some cricket".
Stand-in Australia coach Justin Langer however, was more reticent in terms of just how involved the left-arm spearhead would be in the tri-series.
Australia are scheduled to play six matches – three each against South Africa and West Indies – beginning on June 5, before a final on June 26, and Langer says Starc will be carefully managed on his comeback tour.
"He's had such an impact on international cricket over the last few years, but we'll have to manage him well as well – he hasn't bowled for a long time," he said.
"Coming from no cricket, and that's including no practice games, straight into international cricket, he's got some challenges ahead, but it's not just about this tour for him, it's about the next very busy year.
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"I think I'll look to play him for three or four of hopefully the seven games – that's the plan so far. But management is a dirty word in cricket, particularly with bowlers.
"But for guys like him and Josh Hazlewood, who haven't played in a while, we have to be sure that not just for the short-term, but for the long-term, we get the benefits."
Starc is averaging 1.95 wickets every ODI but will have to up that ratio to 2.5 if he is to reach Saqlain's mark in the Caribbean, assuming he plays the full four matches Langer suggested he might.
Saqlain, who finished his career in 2003 with 288 wickets from 169 matches, has the distinction of being the fastest in ODIs to the 100, 150, 200 and 250 wicket milestones.
And with the rapid evolution of the one-day game in recent years, Saqlain's records for 100, 150 and 200 wickets are outliers in the history books as the only ones set last century.
All other records for the fastest to each wicket-taking milestone were set in the 2000s, as were the marks for the fastest to reach each multiple of 1000 career runs.
The exception is West Indian legend Sir Vivian Richards, who still shares the record for the fastest player to score 1000 ODI runs, a mark of 21 innings set in 1980 that was matched by Kevin Pietersen, Jonathan Trott and Quinton de Kock this century.
Starc isn't the only contemporary bowler on the hunt for Saqlain's record, though he is best placed to achieve the milestone (see figures below).
FASTEST TO 100 ODI WICKETS
Saqlain Mushtaq (Pakistan): 100 wickets in 53 matches
Shane Bond (New Zealand): 100 wickets in 54 matches
Brett Lee (Australia): 100 wickets in 55 matches
THE CONTENDERS
Mitchell Starc (Australia): 90 wickets from 46 matches (needs 10 wickets in six matches to break Saqlain's record)
Mohammed Shami (India): 87 wickets from 47 matches (needs 13 wickets in five matches to break Saqlain's record)
Mitchell McClenaghan (New Zealand): 82 wickets from 48 matches (needs 18 wickets in four matches to break Saqlain's record)