Mitchell Starc is once again in the headlines. In the second day-night Test of the Ashes series against England, he achieved a feat that no player had been able to achieve before. Starc had a stellar start in the match being played at the Gabba. He dismissed Ben Duckett for a golden duck in the very first over and then took the wicket of Ollie Pope in the second over. These two early blows pushed England on the back foot.
How Mitchell Starc made history in The Ashes match
Starc made history by taking two early wickets in this match. He became the first player in the world to take 20 wickets in a Pink Ball Test against a single team, England. No bowler had previously achieved this feat. Starc’s brilliance against England isn’t new. This is the third consecutive Ashes series where he has taken a wicket in his first over. Previously, he dismissed Zak Crawley in the first over of both innings of the Perth Test. Starc already holds the record for most wickets taken in the first over of Test matches—26. James Anderson is behind him with 19 wickets and Kemar Roach with 10.
Most wickets against a team in Pink Ball Tests
20 – Mitchell Starc vs England (6 innings)
17 – Mitchell Starc vs West Indies (6 innings)
16 Shamar Joseph vs Australia (4 innings)
16 – Alzarri Joseph vs Australia (6 innings)
Starc didn’t stop there. With his impressive performance against England, he equaled Pakistan legend Wasim Akram’s record of 414 Test wickets. Starc achieved this feat in just 102 Tests, while Akram took 104 matches. Starc is now just one wicket away from becoming the leading wicket-taker among left-arm pacers in Test cricket.Starc’s stellar performance not only put Australia in a strong position, but also further cemented his own legacy.
He’s already considered the king of day-night Tests—with 83 wickets, he’s the most successful bowler in the format, a full 40 ahead of second-place Pat Cummins. Mitchell Starc’s record underscores why he’s considered one of the most lethal bowlers in modern cricket.