We Witnessed Greatness’ Courtesy of Starc

Mitchell Starc left the field after delivering an extraordinary bowling performance, leaving the West Indies reeling. The Caribbean pacer Jayden Seales may regret sledging Starc while he was batting, as the consequences were felt deeply. In the Kingston Test, West Indies were bowled out for a mere 27 runs—the second-lowest total in Test history—losing by 176 runs. Starc’s role in this collapse is now widely known: 6 wickets for 9 runs in 7.3 overs!

Was Starc in a rush? Probably not. Even he didn’t anticipate things unfolding so quickly. On the third day at Sabina Park, Starc set a new record for the fastest five-wicket haul in Test history (in 15 balls). After the victory, he said, “We didn’t expect things to happen so fast tonight. Throughout the series, we bowled in the right areas, and that continued today. It’s been a fantastic series. I’m heading home with a smile.”

Australia’s 3-0 Test series win, coupled with Starc being named Player of the Match and Player of the Series, gave him every reason to beam. But the joy didn’t stop there. This was Starc’s 100th Test, where he also claimed his 400th Test wicket, making him the second-fastest to reach this milestone in terms of balls bowled. Starc took 19,062 (legal) deliveries to reach 400 wickets, trailing only South African legend Dale Steyn, who achieved it in 16,634 deliveries. Starc is unmatched with the pink ball, as former Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin commented during the broadcast: “Mitchell Starc, the pink ball, and a lively pitch—nothing gets better than this. We witnessed greatness.” Statistics alone can’t capture this greatness, but the highlights of West Indies’ second innings—a mere 87 balls—tell the story. Starc struck in the first over, taking 3 wickets for 0 runs, a feat seen in Test cricket after 23 years. The last such instance was in 2006, when India’s Irfan Pathan took a hat-trick in the first over of Pakistan’s innings in the Karachi Test. According to the *Sydney Morning Herald*, Starc has now taken 23 wickets in the first over of Test matches, including his fourth instance of claiming a wicket off the first ball of an innings, the first being against Sri Lanka in 2016. Starc’s 100th Test was historic in more ways than one. His bowling figures in this milestone match surpassed the previous record for the best performance in a 100th Test, set by Sri Lankan spin legend Muttiah Muralitharan, who took 6 wickets for 54 runs against Bangladesh in 2006. Australia captain Pat Cummins was in awe of Starc’s match-winning ability. At the presentation ceremony, he said, “When you talk about a 100th Test, it’s about resilience, skill, and fitness. But tonight, we saw the real Mitchell Starc—what he can do for the team, tearing through the opposition to win the match. He’s been doing this consistently across formats, and we’re lucky to have him.” Speaking to SEN Radio after the win, Starc said, “It’s been an incredible tour with a lot of success. We didn’t know how the pink Dukes ball would behave. But last night, under the lights, we saw how lethal it can be. I managed to bowl in the right areas and capitalize on the opportunities, which feels great.”