Stats: Starc overtakes Mitchell Johnson to become fourth-highest wicket-taker for Australia in ODIs

Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Johnson (Twitter)

England might have won the third ODI against Australia to keep the series alive with two games to go, but it was all about Mitchell Starc at the initial phase of the hosts’ run-chase.

Phil Salt, who had played the first over of the innings off Starc as a maiden, finally succumbed for an eight-ball duck as Salt closed the face of his willow a bit too early to send the ball looping into Matthew Short’s hands at midwicket.

This wicket was not just any. It meant Starc got past the ODI tally of another left-arm quick, Mitchell Johnson, with Salt being Starc’s 240th victim in the 50-over format. Notably, Starc took 27 innings less than Johnson to go past him.

With that particular dismissal, Starc made his way into the fourth position, slowly but surely making progress for entering the top three of the elusive list. Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee stand tall with 380 ODI wickets each. The third position is occupied by the all-time great, who is also second on the list of the wicket-takers as far as the longest format of the game is concerned, the legendary Shane Warne, with 291 ODI wickets to his name.

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Coming to the third ODI between England and Australia, England won their first game of the five-match ODI series by 46 runs via the DLS method.

Harry Brook’s stunning unbeaten ton led the way as he became only the fourth English skipper to score a ton in the format against their arch-rivals.

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With this victory, England brought Australia’s 14-game unbeaten streak in ODIs to a close. Australia’s last defeat ahead of this string of victories had come against South Africa in previous year’s World Cup, one which they ultimately got their hands on by convincingly defeating the hosts, India, in Ahmedabad.