Mitchell Starc

Mitchell Starc entered the Australian cricket mix as a younger version of ‘Mitchell Johnson.’ The youngster bettered his pace and accuracy and it can be said that he has emulated Johnson in factors like bowling action, accuracy, and causing fear in batsmen’s minds. The only thing that restricted him from emulating Johnson statistically was the amount of injuries that kept him away from cricket.

Mitchell Starc: Along the Years

Mitchell Starc Records

Domestic or T20 League Records

• Man of the Tournament in the Marsh One-Day Cup in 2015.

• Became the first bowler to take a hat-trick in both innings of a Sheffield Shield match in 2017

• IPL 2024: Highest-paid player in IPL history (INR 24.75 crores)

International Records

• Bowled the fastest delivery in a Test match to Ross Taylor at 160.4 kmph (99.67mph) on 15 November 2015.

• Became the then fastest bowler to take 100 ODI wickets (52 innings) on 21 August 2016. He is still the fastest pacer to do so.

• Became the leading wicket-taker across all formats for Australia in domestic as well as international cricket as he took 60 wickets in the 2014/15 season.

• Leading wicket-taker in ICC Cricket World Cup 2015 (22 wickets)

• Leading wicket-taker in international cricket in calendar year 2015 (87 wickets)

• 14th Australian to pick up 100 wickets and score 1000 runs in Tests

• Fastest to 150 ODI wickets (77 matches)

• Has the most number of five-wicket hauls in World Cup cricket (3)

• Leading wicket-taker in ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 (27 wickets)

• Quickest to take 50 wickets in ICC Cricket World Cup (941 balls)

• Third-most wickets in ICC Cricket World Cup (65 wickets)

• Fastest to 200 ODI wickets (102 matches)

Mitchell Starc Awards and Accolades

• Man of the Tournament in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2015

• Received the Allan Border Medal in 2017 for Best Australian Test Bowler in 2016

• Received the Allan Border Medal in 2022 for Best Australian ODI Bowler in 2021-22

Mitchell Starc Career

Mitchell Starc is known for his blazing pace and toe-crushing yorkers. His ability to swing the new ball has earned him a reputation for being one of the most revered bowlers, especially in ODIs.

Mitchell Starc Domestic Career

Starc made his First Class debut for his hometown side New South Wales in 2009 at the age of 19 years. He also kept performing for his club ‘Western Suburbs’ and his state’s 2nd XI. He made rapid strides as a bowling all-rounder in the domestic circuit.

He made his List A and T20 debuts in domestic cricket in the same year. After some exceptional performances in his debut year, he earned a national call-up in the very next year.

Mitchell Starc IPL Career

Mitchell Starc was picked up by the Royal Challengers Bangalore to play in the IPL 2014. He picked up 14 wickets in the same number of games.

The 2015 edition of the IPL was after the World Cup. Starc was yet to recover from an injury and thus joined RCB from their third game. He continued his brilliant form at the mega event and picked up 20 wickets in just 13 games. He ended up being the fifth-highest wicket-taker in the tournament. 

Also see - Usman Khawaja's Biography

He ended his tenure with the RCB in 2017 and was later picked up by the Kolkata Knight Riders to play in IPL 2018. He missed the entire season due to injury and was released by KKR in November 2018. Starc returned to the IPL fore by registering himself for the IPL 2024 auction and the Australian speedster became an instantaneous hot pick, as KKR bagged him for a whopping INR 24.75 crores, the highest bid for any player in IPL history. 

Mitchell Starc International Career

Mitchell Starc has had a tremendous international career for the Australian cricket team and has won world titles in all three formats through his pivotal contributions.

Mitchell Starc ODI Career

Starc made his international debut in an ODI against India in Visakhapatnam on October 20, 2010. He continued his good performances and was included in the 2013 ICC World ODI XI. He had cemented his place in the Australian ODI side by then. He was their mainstay in the ICC Cricket World Cup in 2015 which was co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand. He became the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 22 wickets to his name while they won the title for a record fifth time. Starc was also awarded the Man of the Tournament and he collected his award from the legendary Sachin Tendulkar. 

He had become a prominent bowler who liked to clean the ‘tails’ of batting lineups. His best bowling performance in ODIs also came during a league stage match against eventual Runner Ups and co-hosts New Zealand as he picked up 6/28. 

Starc was also the highest-wicket taker in the 2019 ICC Cricket World Cup. He was part of the squad that won the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 in India, picking up 16 wickets in the tournament. He also owns the record for the quickest to reach the mark of 150 wickets (77 matches) and 200 wickets (102 matches). Starc holds the record for being the quickest bowler to take 50 wickets (941 balls) in Cricket World Cup (CWC) history and stands third on the list of leading wicket-takers in CWC history after Glenn McGrath and Muttiah Muralitharan.

Mitchell Starc Test Career

Mitchell Starc earned a Test debut against New Zealand in Brisbane in 2011. He could not perform exceptionally with the ball but scored 99 against the Indian national cricket team in his second Test series. He became the first batter batting below the No. 8 position to face more than 100 balls in both innings. 

Starc has taken 358 wickets in 89 matches as of May 2024. He won the World Test Championship final for Australia against India in 2023.

Mitchell Starc T20I Career

Mitchell Starc made his T20I debut against Pakistan on September 7, 2012, in Dubai and was also named in the 2012 ICC T20 World Cup ‘Team of the Tournament.’ He was part of the squad that won the ICC T20 World Cup 2021 held in the United Arab Emirates.

Mitchell Starc Family

Mitchell Starc is the younger brother of Brandon Starc, who is an Olympic high jumper. Mitchell got married to Australian Women’s Team wicket-keeper Alyssa Healy on 15 April 2016. They met for the first time at the age of 9, when they were both wicket-keepers for the Northern Districts.