Mitchell Starc Rewrites History With Landmark Bowling Feat In Ashes 2025 Test

Mitchell Starc Rewrites History With Landmark Bowling Feat In Ashes 2025 Test: Australia and England kicked off the 2025/26 Ashes Series at the Optus Stadium in Perth, and the match began with an unexpected twist. England won the toss and decided to bat first, but things didn’t go their way. They were bowled out for just 172, thanks to a stunning spell from Mitchell Starc.

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Mitchell Starc absolutely dominated the innings, finishing with remarkable figures of 7 for 58 from 12.5 overs. He sliced through England’s lineup, removing Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Jamie Smith, Gus Atkinson, and Mark Wood. His fiery performance didn’t just set the tone for the match; it also helped him achieve a major milestone.

Mitchell Starc Breaks Mohammed Shami’s Optus Stadium Record

With his seven-wicket haul, Mitchell Starc has become the first bowler to take seven wickets in a Test innings at the Optus Stadium. It’s now the best set of figures ever recorded in a Test match at this venue. Before this, Mohammed Shami held the record with his 6 for 56 against Australia back in 2018.

Here’s how the top performances stack up:

Player	Team	Opponent	Bowling Figures	Year
Mitchell Starc	Australia	England	7/58	2025
Mohammed Shami	India	Australia	6/56	2018
Aamer Jamal	Pakistan	Australia	6/111	2023
Nathan Lyon	Australia	West Indies	6/128	2022
Jasprit Bumrah	India	Australia	5/30	2024

A New Milestone in Ashes History

Starc’s incredible effort also pushed him to 104 wickets in Ashes cricket. That makes him the 21st player to cross the 100-wicket mark in the historic series. Even more impressive, he now holds the best strike rate of any bowler in Ashes history. His strike rate of 44.9 edges past Glenn McGrath’s 46.3, which many thought would stand for years.

He’s also become the first left-arm bowler to take 100 wickets against England in Tests. The next left-armer on the list is Mitchell Johnson with 87 wickets, so Starc is well ahead.

Australia Is Missing Their Main Quick Bowlers

Mitchell Starc’s role is even more important in this Test because Australia is without both Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood. The pair are sidelined with injuries, leaving Steve Smith to captain the side and Starc to lead the attack.

England, after winning the toss, chose to bat first but struggled against Australia’s pace. They’ve gone with an all-seam attack themselves, leaving spinner Shoaib Bashir out of the XI. On the Australian side, Jake Weatherald and Brendan Doggett made their Test debuts.