- July 11, 2025
Mitchell Starc is a unicorn in world cricket—this left-arm, lightning-fast, reverse-swinging magician is all-matching. Of course, while raw pace and brilliant yorkers have been Starc’s calling cards, he has had a journey in the Baggy Green through resilience, adaptation, and ultimately clutch performance. With Starc nearing his 100th Test game in Jamaica, it is a fitting moment to reflect on ten of his best performances. From the dusty turners of Galle to the hallowed turf of Lord’s, Starc has left fingerprints across continents and throughout history. Let’s take the ride again.
When Conditions Meant Nothing
Starc’s never been subject to conditions. Most quicks require bounce or swing; Starc requires the ball and purpose. Remember Galle 2016? The Sri Lankan spinners were pirouetting on a minefield, and Australia’s batters were lost, but Starc ran through the place with 11 wickets in the game. He dispatched the top order, squeezed the middle, and rattled the tail. A true magician.
Then the Sri Lanka tour happened, on the same kind of flat SSC wicket, with a rampaging Chandimal, and Starc refusing to relent. His 5-for there was more about skill than ferocity as he finished with 23 wickets for the series – certainly not just another Aussie needing favorable conditions to excel.
Now jump to Lahore 2022 – Australia had drawn two boring matches and had of time to lose. Starc and Cummins stood up. Starc’s four-wicket burst, particularly his wicket of Babar, turned the match on its head in the decider and helped Australia win the series and become the first team to win a subcontinental tour in many years.
Unsung Hero with the Bat
Sure, there are many words written about Starc’s speed, but his batting, too, does have some golden moments. Pune 2017 often invokes memories of O’Keefe’s 12-wicket haul, but what about Starc’s punchy 61 (made up of nice cut shots) and his quick-fire 30 later on? Both played a substantial part in shifting the momentum Australia’s way. We had already split the Pujara-Kohli axis right open, but then Starc came into bat whack and whacked a few for six and flipped the game by no time at all.
Then came Lord’s 2025 in the WTC final, which Australia could lose, but it would be near-perfect, thanks to Starc. With his cold-bloodedness, Starc made an unbeaten 58, which was crucial to Australia’s last wicket partnership of 59 – this took them to a gripping 282. Equipped with the ball, he entered the fray again, still bedeviling the Proteas – if only the catches could be taken!
And we should not forget Perth 2019 – it was brutally hot and he was without Hazlewood – Starc bowled 32 overs, took 9 wickets, and scored 30 runs in an innings, a statement about his fitness, durability, and fire.
When Starc Goes Nuclear: Full Throttle Destruction Mode
Some days, Starc looks like he’s bowling with a rocket launcher. One of those days was in Durban in 2018. With the sandpaper scandals still weeks away, Starc bombarded South Africa with a mind-blowing 9-wicket haul using reverse swing like a wizard.
Adelaide 2024? Jaiswal stirred the pot in Perth by calling him “too slow,” only to have Starc respond with a first-ball schnozz, removing him clean bowled in the next Test. He finished up with 6 for 48 in sunshine (not even a pink-ball for tricks), levelled the series, and let India know that he wasn’t finished yet.
Leeds 2023, however, will probably hurt the most. In England’s chase, Starc was a one-man wrecking ball, removing Duckett, Moeen, Stokes, and Bairstow. His late strike to bounce out Brook nearly turned the match, but he got little support.
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