- July 13, 2025
“I guess this is what getting old feels like,” Mitchell Starc quipped with a wry grin when asked about nearing his 100th Test. For fans who have grown accustomed to his thunderous yorkers and reverse swing over the years, it feels old too. Wasn’t it yesterday that a gangly left-armer fast bowler with excessive aided speed and unkempt hair?! Well, here we are, 14 years and nearly 400 wickets later, with Starc about to enter a club so rarefied that only a dozen or so frontline pace bowlers have ever entered. And, true to form, Starc isn’t feeling sentimental—he’s just shrugging it off and getting on with the cricket!
The Late Bloomer Who Became a Pace Legend
Almost all class fast bowlers began well before the age of 14, continuing their torment of under-12 batters well before they hit puberty. But Starc? He didn’t start bowling with any seriousness until he was 14. By that measure, his ascent has already been remarkable, indeed. He had pace – plenty of it already – but it took years of trial and error and tenacity to develop into the sort of bowler who can perform anywhere in the world.
He will tell you that he was not equipped to deal with those tough middle spells early in his career, when the new ball had stopped swinging, and the conditions were flat. Starc adapted. The reverse swing remained a weapon, but the wobbly seam—learned from watching his mates Hazlewood and Cummins—provided a new option. He found a way to survive and then thrive during that unforgiving “nothing’s happening” phase.
Brotherhood of the Baggy Green: The Fast Bowling Trio
It seems almost impossible to write about Mitchell Starc’s career without acknowledging his bromance with Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins. They have made 37 Tests together, a mind-blowing feat in cricket today, when teams always have an injured player, and a poor schedule will often separate them. But for these three? Same State, same training facilities, same physiotherapists. And they have all been supportive enough to help each other get better.
Whether you’re sitting in a rehabilitation room, pushing each other through tough fitness, or just knowing there is someone who has your back during a tough time, that bond is not common. It’s not merely a cricket bond, it is a brotherhood formed in sweat, defeat, and celebrations.
Starc attributes this bond to his longevity. He survived the rigors, both physical and mental, of Test cricket for 14 years, and then still returned wanting more.
Sacrifices, Scars, and Why He Skipped the IPL
If there’s one thing Starc is unapologetic about, it’s his love for Test cricket. While most players chase the IPL dream—and the millions that come with it—Starc often said “no thanks.” Not because he wasn’t good enough (he’s lethal with the white ball too), but because he was protecting his body for what truly mattered to him: wearing the baggy green.
There were more than a few people who were scratching their heads immediately, but it worked. Starc has played 99 Tests to date, missed very few through injury, and most importantly, remained close to home and family, especially his wife Alyssa Healy, who is an Australian cricket star in her own right. While many other players jumped from continent to continent playing in T20 leagues, Starc was re-establishing his body, re-establishing his action, or just resting.
So, to the next generation of fast bowlers: are you prepared to take the same path as Starc in a world focused on instant satisfaction?
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