Mitchell Starc has been at the forefront of Australian cricket for over a decade – but the veteran left-arm quick has only just reached his peak.
With his 36th birthday approaching at the end of this summer, Starc has been enormous in the first two Ashes Tests, taking home man of the match honours in both.
In the series opener in Perth, he claimed career-best figures of 7-58 before taking another three wickets in the second innings in a decisive win for the Aussies.
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Starc well and truly backed it up in Brisbane with figures of 6-75 in the first innings and one of the best batting performances of his career, scoring 77 runs off 141 balls as part of a partnership with Scott Boland that effectively killed off the contest.
Mitchell Starc Cameron Spencer via Getty Images
His efforts with ball in hand at the Gabba saw him surpass Wasim Akram as the highest wicket-taking left-arm fast bowler in Test history, now sitting at 420 in total.
The next target will be Sri Lankan left-arm spinner Rangana Herath, who took 433.
Starc is already fourth all-time for Australian wicket-takers at Test level and while it appears unlikely he will surpass Nathan Lyon (562) or Glenn McGrath (563) to move any higher given his age, who could possibly write him off at the moment?
It’s extraordinary that a player – specifically a fast bowler – with more than 100 matches in the sport’s toughest arena over a 14-year span is continuing to improve.
His early days in the Test team were far from easy, especially given he was first tussling with Mitchell Johnson for a spot and once the 2013/14 Ashes hero decided to retire, had to follow him and try to live up to those lofty, aggressive heights.
Mitchell Johnson terrorised England in 2013/14Â Getty
There were times during his Australian career that Starc copped criticism for his erratic bowling and not striking on a consistent basis with the ball.
The late Shane Warne was a vocal critic of Starc at various stages, but the majority of the issues the Aussie icon raised have disappeared from the left-armer’s game.
While the eye test paints a pretty clear picture of the level Starc is operating at this year and early in the Ashes campaign, the numbers are there to back it up as well.
His average across nine Tests this year is 16 – the lowest of any year of his entire career by a considerable margin – while his strike-rate of 26.94 is an all-time best.
His career bowling average has also dipped under 27 – an incredibly rare trajectory for a player so late in their international career.
The form Starc is in right now could largely be put down to maturity and experience, but he has also sacrificed millions of dollars in the IPL to prioritise international duties. The reward is there for all to see with dominant displays in the baggy green.
Mitchell Starc has floated in and out of the IPLÂ AP
The other part of Starc’s game that hasn’t gone unnoticed is his leadership, which is something he was perhaps reluctant to take up but has been “thrust into” anyway.
Speaking on the Willow Talk podcast, Starc’s wife and fellow cricket star Alyssa Healy admitted that she thought her husband was in career-best form and explained how he has stood up in the absence of long-time partners in crime, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.
“It seems like it [being in career-best form],” Healy said.
“People roll their eyes and go that’s his wife talking, but it’s actually really cool to watch.
“I’m quite unbiased a lot of the time with the amount of shit I give him, but I feel like in moments – you’ve probably seen it in his World Cup career as well – he tends to stand up.
“There’s always a lot of talk about leadership in different areas of life and cricket, but he’s never wanted to step into any of those roles.
“When it’s almost thrust upon him – not with a captain or vice-captain next to his name, but the opportunity to lead a bowling attack – he loves it and thrives on it. He ends up showing the team how to do it and from my perspective, that’s been really cool to watch.
Mitchell Starc Getty
“Pat is looking fit and firing and ready to come back for Adelaide, but in my eyes I hope that doesn’t change [anything] in Mitch’s eyes and he still wants to go out there and lead the attack and get the job done.”
Starc is part of an all-conquering group that has done it all over the past five years, winning T20 and ODI World Cups, Ashes series and a World Test Championship final.
How long his time lasts in the Test arena remains to be seen, but for as long as Starc keeps on keeping on and sending England batters back to the pavilion, Australian fans can count their blessings that he’s representing their country.
Mitchell Starc’s Test bowling record by year2011: 2 games, 4 wickets @ 502012: 4 games, 20 wickets @ 25.052013: 6 games, 17 wickets @ 39.822014: 2 games, 4 wickets @ 632015: 11 games, 46 wickets @ 25.072016: 8 games, 50 wickets @ 22.582017: 6 games, 26 wickets @ 26.352018: 9 games, 31 wickets @ 33.352019: 8 games, 42 wickets @ 20.712020: 3 games, 12 wickets @ 202021: 5 games, 17 wickets @ 33.242022: 11 games, 35 wickets @ 28.112023: 9 games, 38 wickets @ 29.632024: 9 games, 31 wickets @ 30.552025: 9 games, 47 wickets @ 16