When revisiting the supersonic 160.4 kph yorker from Mitchell Starc on the fastest pitch in the world from 10 summers ago, it is not just the frenetic sequence of a delivery in the 88th over of the New Zealand innings that imbues one with bewilderment of a fast-bowling superhuman.
On either side of ‘that’ delivery to Ross Taylor at the old WACA in Perth, the broadcaster’s speed gun had shown signs of breaching the 100-mile threshold, teeming with Starc’s fiery 150-kphers. 153.7 kph, 152 kph, 154.8 kph, 149.2 kph – jotted the four deliveries before the left-armer peaked at 160.4 kph(99.8 mph) in his fourth over with the second new ball – the second-fastest delivery recorded in Test cricket history. Exasperated and visibly drained after seeing a dropped catch of his following ball (149 kph) at gully, Starc descended to serve out the rest of the spell, nudging closer to his 146.4 kph average speeds that day.
At 35, Starc may not have a 160-kph bullet in him anymore, but the 6-foot-6 pace powerhouse can still hit the mid-140s consistently as he did in Grenada against the West Indies last week, as he will in his landmark 100th Test in Jamaica this weekend.
Having began his age-group career as a wicketkeeper, Mitchell Starc said he never thought he would feature in as many Tests. (AP Photo)
The left-arm pacer has sustained much of his hunger and speed in the decade since the Perth pace peak, piling on 517 more wickets (280 in Tests) to become only the second specialist pacer from Australia after Glenn McGrath to mark a century in whites.
Soaring rapidly up the Test ranks as one of the most fearsome strike bowlers from Australia, ‘FLOAT’ Starc has simultaneously left an imprint in the shorter versions. No bowler has reached the 200-wicket mark quicker in ODIs than the two-time World Cup winner. No pacer has taken more T20I wickets for Australia either.
Having picked up seven wickets in the two Windies Tests this month, Starc needs five scalps in his milestone 100th appearance to touch 400 wickets. Armed with a cushion of at least 1300 deliveries, he will likely slot in as the second quickest ever to reach 400, behind Dale Steyn (16,634 balls) as the second man to get there in under 20,000 deliveries.
Pacers with most wickets ahead of 100th Test
Save for the exceptional outlier ala Steyn who stormed to 439 in only 93 Tests, Starc tops the 12 other pacers on strike rate (48.0) ahead of their respective 100th Tests. The staggering numbers are a product of his metronomic presence as Australia’s seam spearhead in the last nine years.
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Since August 2016, when his bowling average definitively dipped below 30 for the first time, Starc’s cost per dismissal has only seen decimal variances – from 27.88 at the end of his 27th Test in Galle to 27.39 post the 99th. The strike rates have similarly stood firm, moving to 48.0 from 48.5 between his last 72 Tests.
Save for his questionable resourcefulness on Indian pitches (AVE: 53.66, SR: 89.6), Starc has been potent in all conditions where he has had considerable game time. And his ageing limbs have been no bar to the effectiveness, sporting improved wicket-taking rates since turning 30 in the 2020s. Of the five Australians to have picked up at least 200 wickets at home, Starc’s 47.9 SR stands clear of the rest. Only compatriots Glenn McGrath (87 at 39.8) and Terry Alderman (83 at 42.9) have bettered Starc’s 44.6 SR for 65 scalps among pacers on England visits.
Opening force
The exhilaration of watching Starc in full tilt with a fresh red ball has been seldom challenged in the time he’s taken over the mantle of the opening bowler’s role for Australia. 90 percent (356) of his Test scalps have come opening the attack, with none of the other four seamers who have amassed as many scalps in the role topping his strike rate (46.8). This unfettered tune to reel in wickets up front is the essence of Starc’s bowling.
Insert third table (on new ball)
One of three bowlers (after Nathan Lyon and R Ashwin) to have stacked up at least 350 Test wickets since January 2015, five percent (20) of Starc’s wickets were plotted within the first six deliveries of a team innings.
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Nobody can fault his sense of occasion either. Starc began three momentous Test matches in his career with wickets of the first ball of the match – the joint-most in history. He was on point nipping Dimuth Karunaratne in that Galle Test in 2016, castling Rory Burns with a swerving yorker off the first ball of the 2021 Ashes and serving up a stark riposte to Yashasvi Jaiswal’s “too slow” comments in Adelaide last year.
Jamaica will brace for a similar wind. Starc will be ready.
