Record hunting Tests

One Tiger, two Kangaroos!

Three veterans, all aged over 35, remain at the heart of their respective Test sides.

The upcoming two-match red-ball series will be a test of endurance, but for Bangladesh’s Mushfiqur Rahim and Australia’s Mitchell Starc and Steven Smith, it will also be a race against history.

With just two Tests on the horizon, Mushfiqur is 194 runs away from becoming the first Bangladeshi to reach 7,000 Test runs, while Starc needs six wickets to draw level with South African great Dale Steyn. Smith, meanwhile, is closing in on another major landmark.

Mushfiqur, who has amassed 6,806 runs at an average of 39.11 in 103 Tests, is on the brink of joining the 7,000-run elite.

The 39-year-old is already the only Bangladeshi in the 6,000-run club. His record against Australia, however, offers little comfort, with just 158 runs at 39.50 from four innings.

His recent form provides plenty of encouragement. Mushfiq has scored 526 runs at 65.75 in eight innings across four Tests in the ongoing World Test Championship cycle.

If he can carry that form into Australia, the 7,000-run landmark could arrive before the series is over.

At the other end of the milestone race stands Australia’s pace spearhead Starc. The left-armer has taken 433 wickets in 105 Tests and sits fifth among the leading wicket-takers in Test history.

The 36-year-old needs just one wicket to draw level with India legend Kapil Dev’s 434. Six more would take him to 439 and level with South African great Dale Steyn.

Starc’s recent form makes the prospect even more ominous for Bangladesh. He claimed 55 wickets in 11 Tests in 2025 and will have two Tests to rewrite another chapter of the record books.

Smith, meanwhile, is chasing a landmark of his own. The Australian batting great is closing in on the 11,000-run mark (10,763) and needs 237 runs to reach the elite club.

Only Ricky Ponting (13,378) and Allan Border (11,174) have already reached the mark for Australia. Smith also needs just 165 runs to overtake another Australian legend, Steve Waugh.

The 37-year-old is particularly formidable on home soil, where he has scored 5,301 Test runs at an imposing average of 59.56.

Mushfiq chasing 7,000, Starc closing in on 439 wickets and Smith eyeing 11,000 means the Bangladesh-Australia series promises much more than a battle between bat and ball.

For three current legends, the red ball could also deliver another piece of Test history.