England may have won the third ODI against Australia to keep the series alive with two games remaining, but the spotlight early in the hosts’ run chase was on Mitchell Starc.
Phil Salt, who faced a maiden over from Starc, fell for an eight-ball duck after closing the face of his bat too early, sending the ball to Matthew Short at midwicket.
This wicket was significant, as it marked Starc’s 240th ODI scalp, surpassing fellow left-arm pacer Mitchell Johnson. Notably, Starc achieved this milestone in 27 fewer innings than Johnson.
With this dismissal, Starc moved into fourth place on Australia’s all-time ODI wicket-takers list, closing in on the top three. Glenn McGrath and Brett Lee lead the pack with 380 wickets each, while Shane Warne holds third place with 291 wickets.
In the third ODI, England secured a 46-run victory via the DLS method, thanks to Harry Brook’s unbeaten century.
This win snapped Australia’s 14-match unbeaten run in ODIs, their first loss since falling to South Africa in the previous World Cup, which Australia went on to win by defeating India in the final.