Archive · 23 Aug 2026
Starc and Lyon May Be Test Cricket’s Last Elite Pair
Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon are two Australian bowlers with many Test wickets.
Lyon has taken 571 wickets, and Starc has taken 445.
They are sixth and 10th on the all-time list.
They are also the only active players in the Test top 10.
Both began playing Test cricket in 2011 and have played more than 100 Tests.
The article says it is unusual for two bowlers from the same country to reach this list while playing together.
Modern players often play shorter matches and T20 league cricket instead of many Tests.
Injuries, workload management and fewer long Test series can also limit their careers.
That is why Starc and Lyon may be the last pair of their kind.
Mitchell Starc entered the top 10 of Test wicket-takers during Australia’s second Test against Bangladesh in Mackay.
Nathan Lyon has 571 Test wickets and ranks sixth, while Starc has 445 and ranks 10th.
Starc and Lyon are the only active bowlers in the all-time Test top 10 and have both played more than 100 Tests.
Lyon needs 34 wickets to overtake Stuart Broad for fifth place, while Starc remains well short of Courtney Walsh’s 519.
Workload management, franchise cricket, format specialization, fewer Tests and the rare alignment of long careers may prevent another such pair emerging.?
- Who
- Australian bowlers Mitchell Starc and Nathan Lyon.
- What
- Starc joined Lyon as the only active cricketers in the top 10 of highest Test wicket-takers.
- When
- During the recently concluded second Test against Bangladesh; the article does not provide a date.
- Where
- Mackay, Australia.
- Why
- The article argues that workload management, injuries, franchise cricket, format specialization, fewer Test matches and the difficulty of sustaining long careers make another such pair unlikely.
- Nathan Lyon’s wickets
- 571 Test wickets
- Mitchell Starc’s wickets
- 445 Test wickets
- Lyon’s ranking
- Sixth among all-time Test wicket-takers
- Starc’s ranking
- 10th among all-time Test wicket-takers
- Lyon’s next target
- He needs 34 wickets to surpass Stuart Broad for fifth place
- Test debuts
- Starc and Lyon both made their Test debuts in 2011
- Career appearances
- Both have played more than 100 Tests