Starc opens up on prospects of surpassing Dev, Steyn's wickets tally in Tests

Veteran Australia pacer Mitchell Starc has played down the prospect of surpassing India's Kapil Dev and South Africa's Dale Steyn on the list of leading wicket-takers in Tests, emphasising that it does not mean a whole lot.

Starc, who made his Test debut for Australia in December 2011, sits 12th on the list of leading wicket-takers of the format with 433 scalps in 105 matches, coming at a formidable average of 46.21 and a strike rate of 46.21.

The 36-year-old now needs six more wickets to surpass India's Dev and South Africa's Steyn and break into the top 10 of the elusive list, with his next appearance in the format expected during Australia's two-match home series against Bangladesh, slated to be played from August 13 to 26.

Although Starc termed it "very humbling" to be compared to the aforementioned duo, the left-arm pacer stressed the milestone did not mean much while he is currently active in international cricket.

"It means I've played a bit. It is cool and very humbling to be spoken about it with those guys. But that stuff doesn't mean a whole lot while you're still playing. You don't get too far ahead," Starc told the Australian Associated Press.

"You're never as good or bad as you think or other people think you are. I still moan and whinge about anything that goes wrong with or feels wrong. Even heading into [the last] summer, it didn't feel like it clicked until the day before the Ashes.

"But I think what's been a feature of our group and led by Ron [Head Coach Andrew McDonald] and Pat, is that whether it's a good day, bad day, good over, bad spell, it's done. Move on. What can you change in real time?"

Reflecting on his longevity, Starc credited improving with time and learning new variations, including wobble seam.

"When you're 36 and you've been around for 16 years, you'd like to think you've improved or got better at something," Starc said.

"You're also around that long because you're able to develop and learn and improve. And you add in a few things like the wobble seam, consistency and other things. I have a pretty clear mindset on it all."