A milestone-heavy, chart-climbing Test series against West Indies awaits Australia's iconic bowling quartet

St John's [Antigua], June 23 (ANI): Australian pacer Mitchell Starc will have two major milestones to tick off, as he will be aiming to become only the fourth Aussie to reach 400 Test wickets and become the 16th player from his team to feature in 100 Tests during the tour of West Indies from June 25 onwards.

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The first Test of the three-match series will be held in Barbados. It will mark the start of Australia's ICC World Test Championship (WTC) 2025-27 cycle after its loss to South Africa in the final of the 2023-25 WTC cycle.

Currently, in 97 Tests, Starc has taken 387 wickets, with an average of 27.49, with the best figures of 6/48. He has taken 15 five-wicket hauls and two ten-wicket hauls. He is Australia's fourth-highest all-time wicket-taker in Tests. If he reaches to the 400 wicket mark, he will only be the second Aussie pacer to do so.

Also, nine more wickets will help him overtake Brett Lee (718 international scalps in 322 matches) to become Australia's third-highest all-format wicket-taker of all time. Currently, Starc has 710 wickets in 289 international matches.

Above him in Australia's wicket tally are late spin great Shane Warne (708 scalps in 145 Tests), Glenn McGrath (563 wickets in 124 Tests) and Nathan Lyon (553 wickets in 137 Tests).

Infact, all the members of the iconic Aussie bowling quartet are nearing milestones and upward movements in charts. Lyon is just 11 wickets away from becoming Australia's second-highest in Tests. Lyon, who has 583 international wickets in 168 matches, is just eight wickets away from overtaking Mitchell Johnson (590 wickets in 256 international matches) to become the fifth-highest international wicket-taker for Australia.

Also, Josh Hazlewood, currently sitting at 281 wickets in 73 Tests, needs just 19 more to become the ninth Australian to reach 300 Test wickets. 'Hoff' as he is known, is sitting at 486 international wickets in 216 matches, is just 14 scalps away from becoming the eighth player from Australia to reach 500 international wickets.

Skipper Pat Cummins, currently having 301 Test wickets in 68 Tests, fresh off a six-wicket haul in the WTC final, is just 10 wickets away from overtaking Lee (310 wickets in 76 Tests) to become the seventh-highest wicket-taker for Aussies in Tests.

It will be followed by matches in Grenada (July 3) and Jamaica (July 12), the latter being the West Indies' first-ever day-night Test match.

Australia Test squad: Pat Cummins (c), Sean Abbott, Scott Boland, Alex Carey, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Usman Khawaja, Sam Konstas, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Beau Webster. (ANI)

(The story has come from a syndicated feed and has not been edited by the Tribune Staff.)