Mitchell Starc becomes first left-arm pacer with 100 Ashes wickets
What's the story
Mitchell Starc gave Australia a perfect start in the first Test of the Ashes series against England in Perth. The left-arm pacer dismissed England opener Zak Crawley on the last ball of the very first over, sending the Australian crowd into a frenzy. He further claimed two more wickets with the new ball, and with his third scalp, Starc became the first left-arm pacer to complete 100 wickets in Ashes history. Here are further details.
Elite list
Starc enters this list
No other left-arm pacer even boasts 90 Ashes wickets as Mitchell Johnson follows Starc with 87 scalps. Overall, Starc became the 21st bowler in Ashes history to take 100 or more wickets. 13 bowlers on this list are from Australia. Playing his 23rd Test against England as per ESPNcricinfo, Starc has raced to 100 wickets at 26-plus. The left-arm pacer boasts four five-wicket hauls with the best of 6/111.
Career
Nearly 50 Ashes wickets at home
On Australian soil, Starc has over 43 wickets against England from 10 matches at 24-plus with one fifer under his belt. In England versus England, he has claimed 56 wickets at 29.55 from 13 matches (5W: 3). Overall in Tests, Starc has raced to 405 wickets from 101 Tests at 27-plus. He owns 16 five-wicket hauls and 20 four-fers. With the bat, he has managed 2,322 runs at 20.19. He owns 11 Test fifties.
Bowling prowess
Starc's impressive record in first over
As per Cricbuzz, Crawley's dismissal marked Starc's 24th wicket in the first over of an innings in Tests and his 15th since 2015. Starc now has the most wickets (24) in the first over of an innings among all bowlers since his debut. He is followed by James Anderson (19) and Kemar Roach (10). The delivery that got Crawley was perfectly pitched, seaming away after pitching.
Match highlights
Starc's early impact on Day 1
Starc's impact didn't stop at Crawley's wicket. Just five overs later, he had Ben Duckett LBW for 21 runs off 20 balls. Talismanic batter Joe Root, who bagged a seven-ball duck, was his third victim. This was a major blow for England, who had chosen to bat first after winning the toss. The left-arm pacer is leading Australia's attack in this Test as Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood are both injured.