Starc completes 50 Test wickets in 2025, scripts this record
What's the story
Talismanic Australian pacer Mitchell Starc has become the first bowler to complete 50 Test wickets in 2025. The milestone came during the recently concluded third Ashes Test against England in Adelaide. Starc's stellar performance helped Australia retain the Ashes for the fourth consecutive time on Sunday. He picked up three wickets in the fourth innings, including those of set batters Jamie Smith and Will Jacks, to seal Australia's victory. Here we look at his stats.
Spell
A stunning spell from Starc
England started Day 5 with a daunting task of chasing down 228 runs with just four wickets in hand. Starc opened his account by trapping Jamie Smith for 60. The 35-year-old pacer made another strike to dismiss Will Jacks for 47. Jofra Archer tried to slog Starc but was caught by Jake Weatherald at deep point, leaving England just one wicket away from defeat. Scott Boland then dismissed Josh Tongue to seal the deal for the Aussies.
Ashes
Starc continues to shine in Ashes 2025-26
Starc's performance in the Ashes series has been nothing short of phenomenal. He started with a 7/58 haul in the first Test at Perth, followed by a 3/55 effort to take his match tally to 10 wickets. The second Test at Gabba saw him pick another six wickets (6/75) and two more in the pink-ball match (2/64). Starc claimed a total of four wickets in the third match, including a 3/62 from 17 overs in the fourth innings.
Stats
51 Test wickets for Starc in 2025
Starc took his tally of wickets in Tests in 2025 to 51 wickets from 10 Tests at 17.15 - his best average in a calendar year (5W: 3). As per ESPNcricinfo, Starc's bowling strike rate of 28.7 in 2025 is the best for any bowler with 50-plus wickets in a calendar year. Meanwhile, the only other year that saw Starc complete a half-century of Test wickets was 2016 (50 at 22.58).
Career
Here are his overall stats
Earlier this year, Starc also achieved the milestone of 400 Test wickets in his 100th match. He has now raced to 424 wickets from 103 Tests at an average of 26.50. The tally includes 18 fifers and three match hauls of 10 wickets. 119 of his wickets have come in 15 Ashes Tests at 25.46 (5W: 6). At home, he has raced to 257 Test scalps at 25.65.