Josh Hazlewood’s career-best six helps him leapfrog Brett Lee in Australian Test wicket-taking history

Australian Josh Hazlewood (AP photo) Josh Hazlewood added another milestone to his illustrious career on Tuesday when he surpassed Australian pace legend Brett Lee in the list of the country’s top Test wicket takers. The right-arm speedster achieved this with a career-best six-wicket haul against South Africa in the first Test at Kingsmead in Durban to help Australia seal an impressive 214-run victory.

Hazlewood swung past Brett Lee in Australian records

Hazlewood returned figures of 6/49 in South Africa’s second innings, taking his tally to 311 wickets in Test cricket. He took eight wickets in the match, including two in the first innings, surpassing Lee’s career tally of 310.The achievement ranks Hazlewood sixth among Australia’s highest-wicket fast bowlers and eighth in the country’s overall Test wicket-taking list.Shane Warne remains Australia’s leading Test wicket-taker with 708 scalps, while Nathan Lyon is second with 573 wickets. Hazlewood is now among the most successful fast bowlers in the country, next on the list is Mitchell Johnson with 313 wickets.During the match, Hazlewood also passed several renowned bowlers in the all-time Test wicket charts, including Kemar Roach, Fred Trueman, Lance Gibbs and Morne Morkel. He is level with Ishant Sharma and Zaheer Khan of India, who each took 311 Test wickets.

Hazlewood dismantles South Africa on Day 5

Hazlewood’s milestone came via a match-winning run that crushed South Africa’s hopes of an unlikely chase. Returning to the final day at 102/4, the hosts needed another 319 runs to reach their target but were eventually bowled out for 206.The Australian pacer broke South Africa’s resistance by dismissing Wiaan Mulder, who struggled for 29 runs off 109 deliveries. Hazlewood then removed Marc Jansen for 35 with a delivery that breached his defense before dismissing Simon Harmer in the same over.Mitchell Starc subsequently ended Aiden Markram’s decisive innings with 75, while Hazlewood came back to claim the last wicket by dismissing Anrich Nortje. His six-wicket haul not only ensured Australia a 214-run victory but also delivered a career-best performance in the longest format.