Australia’s pace bowler Josh Hazlewood created history during the third Test against South Africa by dismissing Aiden Markram to claim his 312th Test wicket. With that scalp, Hazlewood moved past Ishant Sharma’s and Zaheer Khan’s shared tally of 311 Test wickets and currently stands 35th in the all-time highest wicket-takers rankings.
The milestone was built on the back of a remarkable individual performance earlier in the series. Hazlewood returned career-best figures of 6/49 in the final innings of the first Test at Kingsmead, Durban, helping Australia defeat South Africa by 214 runs. He finished that match with eight wickets in total, underlining his value as Australia’s premier pace weapon in the format.
Across 81 Test matches for Australia between 2014 and 2026, Hazlewood has accumulated 312 wickets, placing him alongside India’s Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan before going past both of them in the record books. He has maintained a bowling average of 23.91 and an economy rate of 2.78 throughout his Test career, registering 11 five-wicket hauls and 15 four-wicket hauls. Earlier in the same series, he had already moved past Brett Lee (310 wickets), Fred Trueman (307) and both Morne Morkel and Lance Gibbs (309 each), reflecting his steady and consistent ascent up the all-time list.
How does Hazlewood’s record compare with Ishant Sharma’s Test career?
Ishant Sharma represented India in Test cricket from 2007 to 2021, appearing in 105 matches across that period. He finished with 311 wickets at a bowling average of 32.40 and an economy rate of 3.15, with best figures of 7/74 in an innings. His career tally included 11 five-wicket hauls and 10 four-wicket hauls, making him one of India’s most prolific pace bowlers in the format. Hazlewood has now surpassed that mark in just 81 Tests, reaching the milestone in considerably fewer appearances than Ishant managed across his 14-year international career.
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How does Hazlewood’s record compare with Zaheer Khan’s Test career?
Zaheer Khan played Test cricket for India between 2000 and 2014, featuring in 92 matches during that span. He gathered 311 wickets at a bowling average of 32.94 and an economy rate of 3.27, with best figures of 7/87 in an innings. Zaheer’s record comprised 11 five-wicket hauls and 15 four-wicket hauls, and he established himself as one of India’s leading left-arm fast bowlers of his generation. Hazlewood, operating at a markedly lower average and economy rate, has now moved past that landmark and continues to add to his tally in the ongoing series against South Africa.
