The fast and furious: Mitchell Starc

In world cricket, Australians hold a reputation of playing the most aggressive game. They can get brutal both with their words and with their ball. They are the ones who have taught the world on how to actually play a cricket game and they have proved time and again that one cannot become the best in the business without aggression. 

Today in this article by ZAP cricket, we will discuss one of the most aggressive bowlers from Australia- Mitchell Starc. 

He is a left arm pacer and a handy lower order batsman. He is one of the leading wicket takers for Australia and has even scored a 99 in a test match. Naturally, he is very aggressive and that has always complemented his style of playing. 

Early life and domestic cricket 

Born on 30 January 1990, Mitchell Starc played domestic cricket for New South Wales. He started playing cricket at a very young age. When he was 9, he used to play for Northern Districts as a wicketkeeper. But as he grew up, his coaches recognised his potential as a left arm pacer and hence he diverted his efforts to pace bowling. Later in 2009, he made his first class debut for New South Wales. With his consistent performance in the domestic circuit, he climbed the ranks quickly. 

His brother Brandon Starc Australian is a high jumper, who has won medals for Australia country in the Commonwealth Games. Moreover, his wife- Alyssa Healy is the captain of Australian Women’s Cricket Team and is fondly recognised as a GOAT in women’s cricket.

International career of Mitchell Starc

Starc made his ODI debut on 20 October, 2010 vs India, Test debut on 1 December, 2011 vs New Zealand and T20I debut on 7 September, 2012 vs Pakistan.  

He is one the most successful pacers of this generation. The left arm angle and late seam movement make him a dangerous bowler. He stands 197 cm tall and that has always been an additional help in generating extra bounce. His fastest delivery is 160.4 kmph and that is also the fastest delivery ever recorded in a Test match. 

With his raw pace, Mitchell has single handedly won plenty of games for Australia. In the 2019 World Cup he picked 27 wickets and has set a record for most wickets in a single edition of the tournament. 

International stats of Mitchell Starc

Key matchups- across all formats  

Records and Achievements of Mitchell Starc

• Player of the tournament in 2015 World Cup 
• Included in ICC Men’s Test Team of the Year in 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2022
• Included in ICC Men’s ODI Team of the Year in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2019
• Received Allan Border Medal in 2022
• Felicitated with Shane Warne’s Men’s Test Player of the Year in 2017
• Recognised as Australian Men’s ODI Player of the Year in 2022
• Fastest bowler to reach 150 and 200 wickets in ODI
• Won World Cup in 2015 and 2023 
• Won 2021 T20 World Cup 
• Won ICC Test Championship in 2021-23 cycle
• Leading wicket taker in 2019 and 2015 World Cup
• One of the five players to win an ICC Trophy in all three formats of the game 

Mitchell Starc in franchise cricket 

Starc isn’t a regular participant in franchise cricket. Although he has been part of BBL and IPL for a couple of years each. In BBL, he played for Sydney Sixers in 2011-12 and in 2014-15. In the IPL, he was picked by Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2014-15 and Kolkata Knight Riders in 2024. Interestingly, his bid went quite high in the 2024 IPL auction as he was bought for INR 24.75 crore, the most expensive bid for that year. For the 2025 IPL, he is picked by Delhi Capitals for INR 11.75 crore.

Following is Starc’s record in IPL and BBL: