‘The ball’s coming out decent. I can’t complain’: Starc’s stunning record ahead of Sydney Test

2 months ago 16

In the 143-year history of Ashes cricket, there are 60 instances of a bowler having taken 25 wickets or more in a series.

England’s Jim Laker holds the record, with 46 wickets from five Tests in 1956. Terry Alderman’s 42 in the 1981 Ashes remains the most by an Australian, while Rodney Hogg’s 41 in 1978-79 is the highest tally in a series played on Australian home soil.

Shane Warne’s 40 scalps in the 2005 Ashes in England will forever be part of cricketing folklore.

But across those 60 instances, no bowler has come close to matching Mitchell Starc’s strike rate in this summer’s series.

The 36-year-old left-armer, whose ability to consistently bowl at extreme pace seems to defy sports science, has taken a wicket every 25.8 balls across four Tests this series.

With 26 wickets at an average of 17.42 heading into his home Test at the SCG starting on Sunday, it begs the question: is this Starc’s greatest summer in the baggy green?

Australia’s Mitchell Starc ahead of the fifth Ashes Test in Sydney.

“I guess so,” Starc, sitting in the SCG’s Ladies Stand, says with a shrug. “I’m not a great reflector. 3-1 is a big tick in the summer so far, and 4-1 would be much nicer reading at the end of the week. Thrilled to contribute and play a role in some really important wins.

“I feel good. The ball’s coming out decent, so I can’t complain.”

While their overall wicket hauls were higher, the strike rates of Laker (37), Alderman (46), Hogg (42) and Warne (38) all trailed at of Starc.

The closest in recent times is Mitchell Johnson in the 2013-14 Ashes, when he terrorised England with 37 wickets at 13.97, striking every 30.5 balls.

It would take something special this week for Starc to match or surpass Johnson’s wicket haul, particularly given the SCG remains his least favourable major Test venue in Australia – 27 wickets from 10 Tests at an average of 42.4.

Starc almost has more wickets in this series than across his entire Test career at the SCG.

“I like the ground, I don’t like the wicket,” Starc said. “I think it’s a bit of a lottery this wicket in the last five or six years. It’ll probably play different to what it looks like.”

That Starc is about to play his fifth consecutive Test, given the consistently high speeds at which he bowls – regularly pushing 145km/h – is a testament to his durability and work ethic.

Mitchell Starc prepares ahead of the Sydney Test.

“I’ve always felt like I’d rather empty the tank for a Test match than try and pace myself to get through five Tests,” Starc said. “We’ve got so many more skilled bowlers to do that containment and consistency job, much better than I am.

“That was my point of difference for a long time; extra air speed. I feel like while I can keep backing up with that air speed, I’m doing my job.”

So what’s the secret?

“Stupidity?” Starc said with a laugh. “I’ve certainly made some decisions along the journey, but I like to think that my work ethic is going to stand above most of that. I feel like I’m in a spot where I know what my body needs.

“I’ve certainly had great help along the way, whether it be strength and conditioning trainers or the medical staff, but you’ve still got to have the want to do it yourself.

“I’d like to think I’m a pretty self-managed athlete. If that means it’s going to help me get through five Tests, I’m willing to do it.”

The New Year’s Test is always one of the marquee events on Sydney’s sporting calendar, though it often arrives with the Ashes already decided.

While this match may be a dead rubber in terms of the urn, World Test Championship points remain on the line, and carry significant weight.

“It’s more than the cricket this week,” Starc said. “Everything that this week encompasses, with the partnership with the McGrath Foundation, all the support, the awareness, the fundraising - that all transcends just the cricket.

“Yes, it’s still an Ashes Test match. Yes, we still want to win and win well. But it’s certainly a bigger week than just the cricket.”