Mitchell Starc

One of the finest fast bowlers of the modern generation, Mitchell Starc, will go down in history as one of the best Australian pacers of all time. Among contemporary bowlers, Starc is among the very few who can terrorize opposition batters with his pace, swing, and accuracy. 

As a teenager, Starc had aspirations of becoming a wicket-keeper, but he was spotted by a coach while he was being tested. The coach had asked him to come out of the net and offered to teach him bowling. Starc got accustomed to fast bowling quickly and was bowling at 135 clicks as a 16-year-old. His coach at that time, Neil D’Costa, recalls fascinating stories about the speedster who was always a great listener. Following some impressive performances at the junior level, Starc was picked for the New South Wales U-17s. 

He had a below-par Sheffield Shield debut as a 19-year-old and leaked runs besides bagging a couple of wickets. But he came back with a bang next season when he picked out 21 wickets in 8 matches. He came into the headlines with an outstanding performance in the domestic One-Day Cup. He finished with 26 wickets in just 6 matches at a surreal average of 8.12. 

The NSW bowler was called up in the Australian squad for the two-match Test series in India in 2010 as a back-up fast bowler but had to warm the benches and had to wait for his elusive baggy green. 

On the back of injuries to the fast bowlers, Starc managed to make his Test debut against New Zealand at the Gabba in 2011. He had a forgettable debut, leaking runs, and went on to have a couple of poor Test matches. He didn’t look menacing and lacked intensity.

The Sydney-born was dropped from the first two home Tests against India in 2012-13 but came back strongly in the last two Tests, where he bagged the prized wicket of Sachin Tendulkar. Still, he was not hostile enough to come to the notice of the selectors, and he was dropped from the squad. He went to England and played in the County Championship to sharpen his skills and learn the skills of bowling with a Duke ball. He returned as a completely different bowler. 

He bagged three five-wicket hauls on his return to the ODI side, but a string of injuries didn’t allow him to be a regular member of the Test squad. He had a poor time with the ball during India’s tour in 2014-15 but turned his fortunes around next year. Starc kept improving his Test match bowling and was the spearhead in the limited-overs set-up. 

The left-arm pacer had a dream time in the 2015 ICC World Cup, which Australia won for the fifth time. Coming to the World Cup, Starc had a great time in the Tri-series, involving India and England. 

The lanky speedster finished with 22 wickets in the World Cup and was named the Player of the Tournament. 

Later, he broke the 160 kmph barrier during the WACA Test against New Zealand in 2015. Starc finished 2015 as the leading wicket-taker in international cricket with 87 scalps under his belt. 

The southpaw has had a string of injuries yet again, and the foot injury made him pick and choose the series. 

Starc was quite brilliant in the 2017-18 Ashes, where he formed a formidable pact with Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, and Nathan Lyon to defend the trophy at home. It was Starc’s 22 wickets in just four matches that destroyed the Englishmen.

In 2019, when the Australians landed in the United Kingdom to defend the World Cup, the world had all the eyeballs on Starc. Despite the Sandpaper gate, the defending champions were looked at as the firm favourites, and the left-arm pacer was their finest bet. Although Australia were thrashed in the semifinal by the eventual winners, England, it was Starc who ended the tournament as the highest wicket-taker to achieve the feat for the second successive time. 

Post the World Cup, the Champion paceman had lost some nick. He wasn’t a regular feature during the Ashes of 2019 and was ordinary during the home series against India. The southpaw bettered his form against touring Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and New Zealand in the 2019-20 season. But he was again out of colours when the Indians won their second successive Test series Down Under. 

However, Starc emerged as a linchpin in Australia's emphatic 4-0 triumph over England in 2020-21. His left-arm pace bowling a symphony of speed, swing, and accuracy that orchestrated the downfall of the English batting lineup. 

The series commenced at Brisbane's Gabba, where Starc dramatically set the tone by dismissing England's opener, Rory Burns, with the very first ball. In the second Test at Adelaide Oval, Starc solidified his reputation as the 'Pink Ball King.' He became the first bowler to claim 50 wickets in day-night Test matches, a testament to his mastery of the challenging pink ball, with figures of 4 for 37.

By the series' end, Starc had amassed 19 wickets, placing him among the top wicket-takers and surpassing former pacer Jason Gillespie on Australia's all-time list. This achievement not only reflected his consistency and endurance but also his evolution into one of Australia's premier fast bowlers.

Returning to Pakistan after a 24-year hiatus, Australia found the reliable Starc back in form, as the reverse swing and sheer pace proved pivotal in the three-match Test series. His standout performance came in the Lahore Test, where he, alongside Pat Cummins, engineered a dramatic Pakistan collapse, finishing with figures of 4 for 33 to help Australia clinch the series. In the Karachi Test, Starc's spell of 3 for 29 in the first innings played a crucial role in restricting Pakistan to 148, though the match eventually ended in a draw. 

During the 2022–23 Border-Gavaskar Trophy, Starc's participation was limited due to injury concerns. He featured in two of the four Test matches, delivering a total of 34 overs across three innings and securing two wickets at an average of 66.00.

In the Ashes 2023, held in England, Mitchell Starc emerged as Australia's leading wicket-taker, claiming 23 wickets in four Tests at an average of 27.08. His standout performance came during the fifth Test at The Oval, where he secured a four-wicket haul, significantly contributing to Australia's efforts in a tightly contested match. Moreover, in January 2025, during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, Starc etched his name into the annals of cricketing history by claiming his 700th international wicket, dismissing opener Dimuth Karunaratne. This remarkable achievement made him only the fourth Australian to reach this milestone, joining the elite company of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, and Brett Lee.

Moreover, in January 2025, during the first Test against Sri Lanka in Galle, Starc etched his name into the annals of cricketing history by claiming his 700th international wicket, dismissing opener Dimuth Karunaratne. This remarkable achievement made him only the fourth Australian to reach this milestone, joining the elite company of Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, and Brett Lee.

During the 2023 World Cup, where the Aussies won their sixth ODI title, Starc played a remarkable part. In the opening match against India, Starc dismissed Ishan Kishan for a golden duck, marking his 50th World Cup wicket in just 941 balls—the fastest to this milestone, surpassing Lasith Malinga's previous record of 1,187 balls. Throughout the tournament, Starc's consistent performances bolstered Australia's bowling attack, culminating in a total of 56 World Cup wickets by the end of the event. 

Ahead of IPL 2024, Starc again made major headlines, this time for becoming the most expensive player in IPL history when the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) secured his services for an unprecedented INR 24.75 crore (approximately USD 2.98 million). Starc's return to the IPL was highly anticipated, given his prior stints with Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2014 and 2015, where he amassed 34 wickets in 27 matches at an impressive economy rate of 7.17. And he played an instrumental hand in KKR’s campaign, helping them win their title IPL title. Interestingly, despite not having a great season, he pulled off brilliant spells in Qualifier 1 and the final, returning with the Player of the Match awards.

For the subsequent IPL season, Starc faced a substantial pay cut from his previous record-breaking contract, as he was acquired by the Delhi Capitals for INR 11.75 crore (approximately USD 1.41 million).

(As of April 2025)