Stats: Comparison between Mitchell Starc and Wasim Akram after 100 Tests

Mitchell Starc and Wasim Akram sit among the best left-arm pacers the Test game has ever seen. Both hail from entirely different corners of the globe, yet share an uncanny resemblance in their statistics when it comes to the Tests. Both made it to the "400-wicket club" as well as 100 caps, but their paths and figures are varied.

At the conclusion of his 100th Test, Starc had already taken 402 wickets in 192 innings at a cost of 27.02 each and at a strike rate of 47.4 balls per wicket. Akram, on the other hand, finished his career in his 104th Test with 414 wickets in 181 innings at a cost of 23.62 each and at a strike rate of 54.6

Starc's total consists of 16 five‑wicket hauls and two match‑ten returns by Test #100. Akram, on the other hand, went on to have 25 five‑fers and five ten‑wicket hauls over those 104 Tests.

Starc's best figure of 6 for 9 occurred in July 2025 vs. the West Indies at Sabina Park, when he tore apart the lower order in one session. Akram's highlight is 7 for 119, which he recorded at Karachi in December 1990.

Starc's strike rate of 47.4 balls per wicket is among the fastest left‑armers in history, while Akram's 54.6, though a bit slower, accompanied a miserly economy of 2.59 against Starc's 3.41, a testament to Akram's expertise at generating swing and controlling it.

Akram loved late movement, both traditional and reverse, and induced edges even on calm subcontinental surfaces. Starc, gifted with raw speed and movement, has turned bouncy Australian and South African surfaces into his hunting grounds, though he's learned to adapt to English pitches when required.

Briefly, Akram had the advantage of consistent accuracy, movement and thrift, whereas Starc provides deadlier strike-power that can shred a line-up at rapid speed. Both fashioned 400-plus wicket careers and 100-Test legacies, but their differing combinations of pace, swing and consistency highlight how different directions there are to greatness with a left arm.

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