Year-ender: Mitchell Starc clocked these Test numbers in 2025
What's the story
Talismanic Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc was simply on a roll in the Test format in 2025. The 35-year-old left-arm pacer finished the year as the highest wicket-taker in Test cricket, claiming an impressive 55 wickets in just 11 matches. Starc's achievement is even more remarkable considering he did it at a strike rate of 28.3, the best for any bowler who took at least 50 wickets in a calendar year. Here we decode Starc's stunning Test returns in 2025.
Record-breaking feat
Starc surpasses Younis's record
In 1993, Pakistan legend Waqar Younis had also picked up 55 wickets in seven Tests, but at a slightly higher strike rate of 29.5, as per ESPNcricinfo. He was the only bowler in the world to have taken at least 50 Test wickets in a calendar year with a strike rate of less than 30. Now, Starc has not only matched this feat but also bettered it. As mentioned, he took a Test wicket every 28.3 balls in 2025.
Consistency
Starc's consistent performance throughout 2025
Starc played all 11 Tests for Australia in 2025 and picked up at least one wicket in 20 out of the 22 innings he bowled. In the World Test Championship (WTC) 2025 final against South Africa at Lord's from June 11 to 14, Starc took two wickets in the first innings and three in the second. However, despite his stellar performance, Australia couldn't save themselves from defeat.
DYK
An average of 17.32 in 2025
Starc's average of 17.32 is the best for an Australian bowler with 50-plus Test wickets in a calendar year. He went past Shane Warne, who averaged 18.2 for his 70 scalps in 1994. Meanwhile, the only other year that saw Starc complete a half-century of Test wickets was 2016 (50 at 22.58). The pacer claimed three fifers in 2025. The only year that saw him register more was 2019 (4).
Feat
Fastest bowler to take a five-wicket haul in Test cricket
The pink-ball Test against West Indies in July saw Starc claim the fastest five-wicket haul in Test cricket history. He recorded the milestone within just 15 balls in the fourth innings in Kingston. This was his 100th Test match. The pacer, who claimed three wickets in the first over, returned with 6/9 from 7.3 overs - his then career-best Test figures. His brilliance meant Australia bowled out West Indies for just 27 runs.
DYK
Six-wicket hauls in three successive Tests
Starc's next Test assignment after the aforementioned Kingston affair was the 2025-26 Ashes opener in Perth. The opening day saw Starc further better his best Test figures, claiming 7/58. The second Test at Gabba saw him pick another six-wicket haul in an innings (6/75). This put him in an elite list of bowlers with an innings six-fer in three back-to-back Tests.