Tag: Mitchell Starc

KINGSTON: Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc has revealed the reason for forgoing several editions of the India Premier League (IPL) ahead of his milestone 100th Test against the West Indies.

The 35-year-old pacer has played in the IPL in recent times; however, he has skipped several editions in the past to prioritize Test cricket.

Starc is set to join Australian legend Glenn McGrath in an elite list of fast bowlers who have played 100 Tests. The left-arm pacer, on Saturday, 12 July, will become the second Australian pacer to achieve this milestone and the overall 16th player to do so.

Having made his debut in 2011 against New Zealand, Starc is only five wickets away from reaching 400 wickets in Test cricket. He has so far taken 13 wickets in the two Tests against the West Indies.

Speaking on the eve of the third Test, with the series already secured by Australia, Starc expressed his thoughts on playing 100 Tests and skipping several editions of India’s marquee league.

“Test cricket was probably the hardest format to either feel like I was good enough for or felt like I was capable of doing. To get that opportunity, I wasn’t going to let that pass at all,” Starc said on IPL.

Most Test Wickets for Australia

• Shane Warne 708 wickets in 108 matches
• Glenn McGrath 563 wickets in 124 matches
• Nathon Lyon 553 wickets in 137 matches
• Mitchell Starc* 395 wickets in 99 matches

“The years that I did miss franchise cricket, I don’t regret that at all. To get my body in as good a spot as I could for Australia to play 99 games, spend some time at home, spend some time with Alyssa [Healy] and family. That’s the reason why I did those things,” he added.

“It makes me feel old,” Mitchell Starc stated on a lighter note when he was asked about the milestone.

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BARBADOS: Australia speedster Mitchell Starc is on the verge of achieving a major milestone in the three-match Test series against the West Indies. 

Starc, currently featuring in the Australian playing XI in the ongoing first Test, has 387 scalps to his name in 97 Test matches.

The pacer requires thirteen more wickets to reach the milestone of 400 wickets in Test cricket. With this feat, he will become the second Australian pacer after Glenn McGrath to claim 400 wickets.

Most Test Wickets for Australia

Shane Warne 708 wickets in 108 matches

Glenn McGrath 563 wickets in 124 matches

Nathon Lyon 553 wickets in 137 matches

Mitchell Starc* 387 wickets in 97 matches

In addition to this, Mitchell Starc could also surpass former Australia great Bree Lee’s tally of 718 international wickets in 322 matches. Currently, Starc has 710 wickets to his name in 289 international appearances.

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Moreover, if the 35-year-old features in all three games of the series, he will be the 16th Australian to play 100 Test matches.

At the time of writing this report, Australia were 21-2 in 13 overs. Usman Khawaja (9) and Josh Inglis (5) remained unbeaten in an attempt to steady the innings.

For the West Indies, Shamar Joseph bagged two wickets in the opening burst, removing Sam Konstas and Cameron Green for three runs respectively.

West Indies XI:

Kraigg Brathwaite, John Campbell, Keacy Carty,  Brandon King, Roston Chase (c),  Shai Hope (wk),  Justin Greaves,  Jomel Warrican,  Alzarri Joseph, Shamar Joseph, Jayden Seales

Australia XI:

Usman Khawaja,  Sam Konstas, Cameron Green,  Josh Inglis,  Travis Head, Beau Webster, Alex Carey (wk), Pat Cummins (c),  Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon,  Josh Hazlewood

Schedule For Australia-West Indies Test Series

1st Test: June 25-29, Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados

2nd Test: July 3-7, National Cricket Stadium, St George’s, Grenada

3rd Test: July 12-16, Sabina Park, Kingston, Jamaica

READ: Bowlers sparkle for Sri Lanka in second Bangladesh Test

Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc has opened up on the reasons behind his decision to skip the ongoing ICC Men’s Champions Trophy 2025.

The star pacer was named in Australia’s preliminary squad for the eight-team tournament, however, he later withdrew his name at the eleventh hour, citing personal reasons.

“We understand and respect Mitch’s [Mitchell Starc] decision,” chair of selectors George Bailey said. “Mitch is deeply respected for his commitment to international cricket and the priority he places on performing for Australia.”

Recently, Starc, during an appearance on the Willow Talk podcast in Australia, revealed that the main reason behind his absence was to take a rest and keep his body fit for the ICC World Test Championship Final against South Africa in June.

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“There are a few different reasons, some personal views,” Starc said. “I had a bit of ankle pain through the Test series, so I just need to get that one right.”

“Obviously, we have the Test final coming up and a West Indies tour after that. There is some IPL cricket as well.

“But the main one at the top of my mind is the Test final. Get my body right, play some cricket in the next couple of months and then be ready to go for the Test final.”

For the unversed, Australia entered the Champions Trophy without their pace trio, as captain Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood were ruled out of the tournament due to injuries.

Catch every Champions Trophy update here!

However, despite their absence, Australia kicked off their campaign with a thrilling victory against arch-rivals England.

Meanwhile, their match against South Africa was abandoned due to rain in Rawalpindi.

They will next face Afghanistan in their last group stage match on February 28 at Lahore’s Gadaffi Stadium.

Australia squad for Champions Trophy 2025

Steve Smith (c), Sean Abbott, Alex Carey, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Marnus Labuschagne, Glenn Maxwell, Tanveer Sangha, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa.

Travelling reserve: Cooper Connolly.

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Star Australia pacer Mitchell Starc has made a shocking revelation regarding his future in the Big Bash League (BBL).

The veteran bowler is a regular feature in the Australia red-ball and white-ball squads, however, he last played for Sydney Sixers way back in the BBL  2014-15 season.

While talking about his return to the Big Bash the Southpaw mentioned a busy Australian summer schedule.

“I don’t know, to be honest. As long as the Australian summer is the way it is, where we have two weeks (off), not even – we had 10 days this year,” he told an Australian media outlet.

“If that’s how it is, probably not. If I retire from something, perhaps. Who knows?” Starc revealed.

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It is worth noting here that Mitchell Starc featured in 10 games for Sydney Sixers before he took a break from the Big Bash League.

Reflecting on his memories while playing for the Sixers, the Australian pacer said that he enjoyed playing for the team.

“It’s hard to miss games to try and protect yourself. There’s always risk playing cricket, that’s never going to change. For me, I just want to keep enjoying playing as much cricket as I can. I really enjoy the BBL with Sydney,” he concluded.

For the unversed, Mitchell Starc’s last appearance in franchise cricket came in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 after missing several seasons.

Earlier, his compatriot Travis Head had shared that he would only play the IPL and the BBL alongside his national duty.

“I won’t play franchise cricket other than IPL. Big Bash will be the third team I play for, so I won’t play anything other than that at this stage,” said explosive batter in an interview last year.

“I think that gives me the opportunity to have that time off,” Head concluded.

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Australia coach Andrew McDonald on Tuesday said he was optimistic that pace spearhead Mitchell Starc will be fit for the decisive fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India.

The hosts pulled off a stunning 184-run win deep into day five of the fourth Test in Melbourne and there is a quick turnaround before the match in Sydney from Friday.

Australia are 2-1 up in the series and will regain the Border-Gavaskar trophy for the first time since 2014-15 if they win or draw the New Year’s Test against India.

Victory would also guarantee them a place in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s against South Africa.

Mitchell Starc bowled 41 overs in Melbourne but clearly struggled in the latter stages, reportedly with sore ribs.

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McDonald said selectors would wait to see how he is before making any calls.

“We’ll see how the bodies are. Clearly, Starcy’s carrying something of some description. We’ll assess that,” he said. “But other than that it looks as though we got through.”

“But short turnaround, recovery is important and we’ll assess what the team looks like in Sydney based upon the surface, as we always do.”

Andrew McDonald said though it was a good indicator that Mitchell Starc kept bowling in Melbourne.

“It didn’t stop him. Clearly, there was a little bit of discomfort early on in spells but once he got warm, it seemed as though he was pretty free. Ball speeds are good.”

Jhye Richardson and Sean Abbott are the other fast bowlers in the squad, with skipper Pat Cummins and Scott Boland certain to play again.

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ADELAIDE: Irrepressible Australian pace spearhead Mitchell Starc claimed his career-best bowling figures to bundle India for 180 on day one of the pink-ball Test of the Boder-Gavaskar Trophy here on Friday.

After India captain Rohit Sharma won the toss on an overcast day at Adelaide Oval, the visitors were dismissed on the cusp of tea.

The menacing Starc, who gave Australia a dream start by removing India opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal with the first ball of the match, took 6-48. Scott Boland and Pat Cummins both grabbed two each.

Six wickets went down in the second session, including Rohit for three and the flamboyant Rishabh Pant for 21.

Pant should have gone for five, but Nathan McSweeney spilled a sharp chance in the gully after the dangerous Boland, in the side for the injured Josh Hazlewood, drew an edge.

But the 35-year-old seamer got his reward four balls later, beating Rohit’s bat to trap him lbw.

A big innings was needed from Pant, but he was unable to deliver with a vicious climbing ball from Cummins bouncing off the shoulder of his bat and into the hands of Marnus Labuschagne.

Starc was brought back for another spell and was hostile once again, taking care of Ravichandran Ashwin (22) and Harshit Rana (0) in the space of four balls.

With India in trouble, Nitish Kumar Reddy decided to take charge, clobbering two big sixes in one Boland over to reach his highest Test score of 42 before he and Jasprit Bumrah fell to Starc and Cummins respectively.

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India came into the clash riding high after a 295-run victory at the first Test in Perth, but Australia have a formidable record in Adelaide, winning all seven pink-ball Tests they have played at the venue.

The visitors chose to retain Jaiswal and KL Rahul as openers in preference to Rohit, who missed the first Test on paternity leave and came in at six.

But the plan backfired as Starc sensationally trapped Jaiswal lbw from a swinging first ball, with the left-armer’s pumped-up celebration showing how much it meant.

The returning Shubman Gill, who was absent from Perth with a thumb injury, then stroked two boundaries in an eventful first over.

But the runs dried up and Rahul was at the crease for 40 minutes without scoring when he was given out, caught behind off Boland.

Rahul was walking off, but a no-ball was called and he survived. Five balls later he had another life, dropped by Usman Khawaja at slip.

Undeterred, the pair battled on, before Starc wove his magic again to remove Rahul for 37 with McSweeney holding a catch low at gully.

Virat Kohli roared back to form in Perth with an unbeaten second-innings century but he was no match for Mitchell Starc this time, out for seven when Steve Smith collected a catch in the slips.

Gill was impressive in weathering the storm, but his luck ran out just before the first break when he fell lbw on 31 to the relentless Boland.

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MELBOURNE: Australia pace spearhead Mitchell Starc achieved a major milestone during the ongoing first ODI against Pakistan here at Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Monday.

Starc gave Australia the desired start after they opted to field as he removed both openers inside seven overs with 24 runs on the board.

During his brilliant new-ball spell, Starc became the fifth Australian bowler to take 100 ODI wickets in Australia. Prior to Starc, Brett Lee, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne and Craig McDermott have achieved this feat.

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Debutant Saim Ayub became Starc’s 100th scalp at home as he got an inside edge that crashed his stumps. Abdullah Shafique also fell prey to Starc after getting caught behind off a short delivery.

The left-arm pacer returned to the attack later and ended Shaheen Shah Afridi’s quick cameo of 24 runs from 19 balls, which featured three fours and one six.

Mitchell Starc returned with figures of 3-33 to bundle Pakistan for 203 in 46.4 overs.

Most Wickets by Australian bowlers in Home ODIs

• Brett Lee — 169 wickets
• Glenn McGrath — 160 wickets
• Shane Warne — 134 wickets
• Craig McDermott — 125 wickets
• Mitchell Starc — 102* wickets

READ: Mitchell Starc stars as Australia bundle Pakistan for 203

LONDON: England’s hard-hitting middle-order batter Liam Livingstone on Friday, wreaked havoc as he smashed Australia’s Mitchell Starc for 28 runs in an over.

The incident occurred in the 39th over of England’s innings in the rain-affected fourth ODI against arch-rivals Australia.

England were 284/5 in 38 overs and needed something special to breach the 300-run barrier in the allotted 39 overs.

The eventful over started with Strac trying to deliver a yorker just outside the off stump but got fractionally short, allowing Livingstone to open his arms and launch the ball for a gigantic six over the long-on.

Starc responded with a slower bouncer and managed to deceive Livingstone.

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The left-arm pacer once again went for a yorker but faltered and Livingstone, cleared his front leg to flick the ball over the square-leg boundary.

The baton charge appeared to have taken a toll on Mitchell Starc as he bowled a wide full-toss, which received the same treatment from Liam Livingstone.

After being hit for three sixes on his first four deliveries, Starc decided to improvise and bowled a pacy length delivery angling outside off but Livingstone, fuelled with momentum, managed to drag it over the cow corner for another massive six.

The experienced pacer finally managed to execute a wide yorker on the final delivery of the innings but still could not get away with it as Livingstone slashed it for a four over point.

 

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The late fireworks saw Livingstone finish at an unbeaten 62 off just 27 deliveries, laced up with 10 boundaries including seven sixes, playing a pivotal role in leading England to a massive total after skipper Harry Brook’s brisk 87-run knock.

Notably, Mitchell Starc, who returned dismal figures of 70/0 in his quota of eight overs, bagged an unwanted record of conceding the most runs by an Australian bowler in ODIs.

The previous most (26 runs) was jointly conceded by Simon Davis, Craig McDermott, Xavier Doherty, Adam Zampa and Cameron Green.

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MELBOURNE: Australian pace-bowler Mitchell Starc expressed shock over the lack of pace from Pakistan’s pace bowlers during the first Test in Perth, which Australia won by a mammoth 360-run margin.

While speaking to the media at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) ahead of the Boxing Day Test, Starc stated that Pakistan’s bowlers are known for hitting speeds around 150 kph, however, they struggled to hit those speeds, which was surprising.

“I think everyone was slightly surprised at the lower pace of the Pakistan bowlers, when you’re generally used to some guys getting in the 150s [kph],” said Starc. “I don’t think that pace is the be all and end all but it certainly plays a part and can help.”

Starc further stated that extra pace might not be crucial in the second Test at MCG, however, bowlers can trouble batters with their accuracy.

“Case in point, you look at Scotty Boland who can bowl good wheels, but he’s not at your top end of pace bowlers. But he generates a lot of sideways movement here in Melbourne, obviously being his home ground,” added the left-arm pacer.

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“He’s done it for a long time and we saw that obviously against England, where every ball he bowled could have been a wicket.”

“So I don’t think that pace is the be all and end all. Certainly, for our attack we all complement each other really well by doing things very differently,” Starc concluded.

Notably, the Pakistan cricket team struggled during the first Test as their pace bowlers hardly managed to hit speeds around 140 kph, whereas the Australian pace trio of Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc regularly hit the mid-140s.

Pakistan’s batting lineup unfolded at a mere 89 in the fourth innings while chasing a mammoth total of 450, thus losing by a margin of 360 runs.

The second Test between both teams will kick off on 26 December at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG).

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Experienced batter Steve Smith and left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc have been ruled out of Australia’s tour to South Africa due to nursing injuries but are expected to achieve full fitness prior to the ODI series and World Cup in India.

Steve Smith is battling a wrist injury, sustained during the recently concluded Ashes, while Mitchell Starc is dealing with groin soreness since returning from the UK.

“The compacted Ashes series and the World Test Championship was a heavy load for the group, and we are taking a conservative approach to the build-up to the World Cup,” national selection panel chair George Bailey said today.

“With the World Cup the priority of the squad, it was determined on advice that it was best for Steve and Mitchell to join the group in India by which time we expect them to be fully fit and available for the Indian ODI series, plus the World Cup warm-up fixture.”

Starc’s injury paved the way for young fast bowler Spencer Johnson in the ODI squad after being selected for the T20I leg of the tour and is expected to make his debut for Australia in both formats.

Meanwhile, Marnus Labuschagne also found his way back into the ODI team as Steve Smith’s replacement, after being left out of Australia’s 18-player preliminary World Cup squad.

“We know Marnus at his best is good enough to hold down a spot in the one-day team, we just haven’t seen enough of it consistently in the role that we’d like him to do,” Bailey told reporters earlier this month.

However, in T20Is, Ashton Turner will fill in Steve Smith’s shoes.

Australia’s regular skipper Pat Cummins was also previously ruled out of the South Africa tour as he is recovering from a fractured wrist. Mitchell Marsh will lead the team in three ODIs and five T20Is against South Africa in his absence.

Australia is scheduled to play three T20Is on August 31, September 2 and September 3, followed by a five-match ODI series commencing on September 7.

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