Mitchell Starc facts for kids
Starc in 2023
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| Full name |
Mitchell Aaron Starc
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| Born | 30 January 1990 Baulkham Hills, New South Wales, Australia |
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| Height | 197 cm (6 ft 6 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Left-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Left-arm fast | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Bowler | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relations | Alyssa Healy (wife) Brandon Starc (brother) |
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| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 425) | 1 December 2011 v New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 3 January 2025 v India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 185) | 20 October 2010 v India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 8 November 2024 v Pakistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI shirt no. | 56 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I debut (cap 59) | 7 September 2012 v Pakistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last T20I | 24 June 2024 v India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I shirt no. | 56 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008/09–present | New South Wales | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2011/12–2014/15 | Sydney Sixers | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Yorkshire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2014–2015 | Royal Challengers Bangalore | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2024 | Kolkata Knight Riders | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Source: ESPNcricinfo, 17 January 2025
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Mitchell Aaron Starc (born 30 January 1990) is an Australian international cricket player. He plays for the Australian national team and New South Wales in Australia. Starc is a left-arm fast bowler and a left-handed batsman. Many people think he is one of the best bowlers in white-ball cricket. He is also considered one of the best fast bowlers to play in the ICC Cricket World Cup.
Starc plays for Australia in all three main types of international cricket: Test cricket, One Day Internationals (ODI), and Twenty20 Internationals. In 2015, he was the top-ranked bowler in ODI cricket. He started playing international cricket in 2010. However, injuries often stopped him from playing early in his career. He became famous as a key player in the Australian team that won the 2015 Cricket World Cup. He was even named Player of the Tournament because he played so well. He was also part of the team that won the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
At the 2019 Cricket World Cup, he took 27 wickets. This is a record for the most wickets taken by one player in a single tournament. He was the top wicket-taker in both the 2015 and 2019 World Cups. As of November 2023, he is the 3rd-highest wicket-taker ever in ICC Cricket World Cups. He is the fastest bowler in ODI history to reach 150 and 200 wickets. He reached these milestones in 77 and 102 matches, respectively. He is also the fastest bowler in Cricket World Cup history to get 50 wickets, doing it in just 19 games. Starc was also a key player when Australia won the 2021 ICC T20 World Cup and the 2023 ICC World Test Championship final. He is one of only five players to win an ICC trophy in all three types of the game.
Starc is known for bowling very fast. His fastest ball was over 160.4 km/h, which is the fastest ever in a Test match. He can also make the ball reverse swing. As of November 2023, he is the 5th-highest wicket-taker for Australia in ODI and Test cricket. He is the fastest left-arm fast bowler.
Contents
- Early Cricket Days
- International Career Highlights
- Starting International Cricket (2010–2012)
- Success and Injuries (2012–2015)
- 2015 Cricket World Cup Success
- Continued Form and Injuries (2015–2018)
- Return to Form and World Cup Record (2018–2022)
- 2019 Cricket World Cup Record
- Recent Years (2019–2022)
- 2023 Cricket World Cup
- 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup
- Indian Premier League
- Achievements and Awards
- Personal Life
- See also
Early Cricket Days
Mitchell Starc started playing cricket when he was young. At 9 years old, he played for Northern Districts as a wicket-keeper. He played cricket for the Northern Districts Cricket Association. He also went to Homebush Boys High School and played for their top cricket team. Starc also played junior cricket for the Berala Sports Cricket Club in Sydney. There, he was known for both wicket-keeping and bowling in the same game.
Starc got a beginner's contract with New South Wales for the 2008/09 summer. In February 2009, he joined their team. He made his first-class debut on 5 March 2009 against Western Australia.
Western Australia wanted Starc to play for them in the 2009/10 season. But he had a contract with New South Wales and stayed. In eight Sheffield Shield games that season, he took 21 wickets. He also scored a half-century against Victoria. Starc was chosen to play for the Australian Institute of Sport in 2010. His bowling helped the team win a Twenty20 trophy.
International Career Highlights
Starting International Cricket (2010–2012)
Starc played very well in 2010. Because of this, he was chosen to join Australia's tour of India in late 2010. He replaced an injured player. Starc played his first international game on this tour. It was a One Day International (ODI) against India on 20 October 2010. He did not bat and did not take any wickets.
Starc played his second ODI later that summer against Sri Lanka. He and another fast bowler took nine wickets. This helped Australia win the game. Before the 2010–11 Ashes series, Starc was chosen to play for Australia A. But he got injured and missed the match. This meant he could not be chosen for the Ashes.
Starc was considered for his first Test cricket game in the 2011/12 season. He took two five-wicket hauls against Queensland in November. He was chosen to play for Australia A again. Then, he was named to Australia's team for the first Test match against New Zealand. He replaced an injured player.
Starc made his Test debut for Australia on 1 December 2011. He took two wickets in that game. He took two more wickets in the second Test. But he was left out of the team for the next series against India. He was called back to Australia's Test team later. He played in the third Test and took four wickets. He was then left out again for the final Test.
Starc returned to the national team for their Test series in the West Indies in April 2012. He joined the team for the last match because other players were injured. After this series, Yorkshire County Cricket Club tried to sign Starc. He was supposed to play four matches for them. However, he had problems with his visa at Heathrow Airport. He was sent back to Australia and had to fly back to England. He finally played for Yorkshire on 30 May.
Starc joined the Australian ODI team again in August and September 2012. He started the tour very well. He won "man of the match" in Australia's first two games. He took four wickets against Afghanistan and five against Pakistan. He was named "player of the series" for taking nine wickets in Australia's two wins. Starc stayed in Australia's team for the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 in Sri Lanka. Australia reached the semi-finals but lost to the West Indies.
Success and Injuries (2012–2015)
Before the 2012/13 summer, Starc played for the Sydney Sixers in the 2012 Champions League Twenty20. He was very successful and helped the Sixers win the tournament. Starc finished as the top wicket-taker with 14 wickets. He was named "player of the tournament."
Starc was considered for the first Test match against South Africa. He was left out at first, but then included in the final Test. Australia lost the match, but Starc took 6 wickets. He also scored the second fastest Test fifty by an Australian in Australia. Starc then helped Australia win their first game of the summer against Sri Lanka. He took the last two wickets to win the match, finishing with 5 wickets for 63 runs.
Starc was rested for the Boxing Day Test. This decision was debated. Young fast bowlers often get stress fractures from playing too much. Starc played in all three types of cricket, so he had a very busy schedule. Starc played in the Sydney Test a week later. He stayed in the team for the ODI series against Sri Lanka. He got calf soreness and missed a match. This was the first time an injury made him miss a game for Australia.
He also played in Australia's ODI series against the West Indies. He was named "player of the match" for taking 5 wickets for 20 runs. This helped bowl the West Indies out for only 70 runs. During this time, doctors found a bone spur in Starc's ankle. He chose not to have surgery right away because of Australia's busy schedule. He also decided not to join the 2013 IPL player auction. Instead, he rested for two months.
In the 3rd Test of Australia's tour of India, Starc almost scored his first Test century. He was out for 99 runs. After this match, Starc was sent home for surgery on his ankle spur. It was found that another spur had already broken off. Starc later said he had been using painkillers to bowl. The surgery was successful. He was named in Australia's teams for the 2013 ICC Champions Trophy and the 2013 Ashes series in England.
Starc's first international game after surgery was in the Champions Trophy. He only played one match in the tournament. He continued his recovery by playing a tour match. In the 2013 Ashes series, Starc played in the first match but was then dropped. He came back for the third match. He struggled with accuracy but managed to take key wickets. He was dropped again, then recalled for the final match. He had not played two games in a row in a series since 2011. Starc went home early from England because of back soreness. This was a stress fracture, which meant he missed the home summer. Starc did not play Test cricket for Australia again until October 2014.
Starc recovered from his back injury. He returned to Australia's team in the shorter ODI and Twenty20 games in 2013/14. But he did not play a first-class match until his return to the Test team in October 2014. He played in the 2nd Test against Pakistan. Then he returned to Australia to play for New South Wales. He got injured again and missed the next match.
Starc returned to the Test team for Australia's home series against India. He played in the 2nd Test but did not perform well. He was dropped for the 3rd Test but recalled for the 4th. He was warned by the International Cricket Council for celebrating too much after taking a wicket. Despite this, Starc played well and took five wickets.
Starc helped Australia win the 2015 Carlton Mid Triangular Series. He bowled very well from the first match. He took two wickets in England's first three balls. He then took six wickets against India. He was named "player of the match" in both games. His performances gave him 59 ODI wickets. At that time, this was a world record for players with more than 50 wickets.
2015 Cricket World Cup Success
Starc was a big part of Australia's winning team in the 2015 Cricket World Cup. This tournament was held in Australia and New Zealand. He took two wickets against England in the first match. Australia's next game was against New Zealand. Australia only scored 151 runs. Starc bowled very well. He took 6 wickets. This was the second time he had taken 6 wickets in an ODI. He became the first Australian to do this multiple times.
Australia won their other group matches. They reached the World Cup final, again against New Zealand. Starc bowled first for Australia. On the third ball of the match, Starc bowled out Brendon McCullum. This wicket put New Zealand on the back foot from the start. Starc finished the tournament with 22 wickets. His bowling average was 10.18. He was named the "player of the tournament." He also became the top-ranked ODI bowler in the world.
Continued Form and Injuries (2015–2018)
Starc returned to Test cricket in Australia's tour of the West Indies in June 2015. He took 10 wickets in the series. After this, Australia went to England for the 2015 Ashes series. Starc was seen as a big threat to England. In a practice match, he took six wickets.
In the first Ashes match, Starc struggled against left-handed batsmen. He still took five wickets but gave away many runs. Starc also had an ankle injury on the first day. He needed painkillers to keep bowling. The injury made it uncertain if he could play the second match. But he played and helped Australia win. In the third Test, Starc's batting became important. He scored 58 runs. In the fourth Test, Starc took his best bowling figures of 6 wickets for 111 runs. But England won the match and regained the Ashes. Starc took 18 wickets in the series.
Australia's time in England ended with an ODI series. Starc played, but his ankle injury got worse. Scans showed he had bone spurs in his ankles again. He needed injections to treat the pain. He missed one ODI but returned for the final match. Starc took a wicket in the first over, just like in the 2015 World Cup final. Australia bowled out England for only 138 runs. During the match, Starc bowled a ball that hit England's captain, Eoin Morgan. Morgan had to leave the game because of a concussion. This affected Starc, as he had been there when Phillip Hughes was hit by a ball and later died in 2014.
The delay of Australia's tour of Bangladesh meant Starc could play domestic cricket. He started the 2015/16 season playing for New South Wales. He was rested for one match because of his ankle. But Starc played very well in the rest of the tournament. He helped New South Wales win the final, taking three wickets. He took 26 wickets in the tournament, a new record. He was named "player of the series."
Starc finished 2015 by playing in Australia's Test series against New Zealand. In the first match, he threw the ball at a batsman in frustration. He was fined for this. In the second Test, Starc bowled the fastest ball recorded in Test cricket, at 160.4 km/h. He had to bowl many overs in these matches. Starc needed more injections after this. In the final match, he got a stress fracture in his foot. This meant he missed the next series. He also had surgery for his ankle spurs. Despite his injuries, Starc was the best bowler in international cricket in 2015. He took the most wickets in Test matches and ODIs.
Starc returned from his foot surgery in June 2016. He was named in Australia's team for the 2016 West Indies Tri-Series. He was rested for two matches to manage his workload. Australia won the tournament with Starc playing in the final. He had no ankle pain after the series.
Starc then joined Australia's tour of Sri Lanka. He played very well. In the second Test, he took a wicket with the very first ball. He took 5 wickets for 44 runs on the first day. This was a record for an Australian fast bowler in Sri Lanka. He also took his 100th wicket in Test cricket. He took 6 wickets for 40 runs in the second innings. In the final Test, Starc took his third five-wicket haul in three innings. Starc took 24 wickets in the series. This was a record for an overseas fast bowler in Asia. Starc's success continued into the ODI series. He took his 100th ODI wicket in his 52nd match. This made him the fastest bowler to reach 100 ODI wickets.
Starc was rested for Australia's tour of South Africa in October 2016. This was to prepare him for the home summer. But he had an accident during practice. He got a deep cut on his shin. He needed 30 stitches and spent four days in the hospital. He had to wear a knee brace. Starc played the first Test match against South Africa in November, even though his wound was still open. He bowled slower than usual but still took four wickets. He bowled 50 overs in the match. This was a lot of work. Starc played through the rest of the series and the next series against Pakistan. He played in the Boxing Day Test match at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the first time. Starc won Australia's Men's Test Player of the Year award for 2016. This was the first time a bowler had won it in nine years.
In 2017, Starc returned to New Zealand for an ODI series. He struggled to make the ball swing. But he bowled well in the Border–Gavaskar Trophy in India. In the first Test, he took two key wickets. He also scored an important 61 runs with the bat. Australia won the match. Starc got a stress fracture in his foot in the second match. He had to fly home.
Starc was fit to play in the Champions Trophy. Australia's first two matches were rained out. But Starc still played well. In the match against Bangladesh, he took four wickets and almost got a hat-trick. He took three wickets in one over without giving away any runs. This was the first time this had happened in the Champions Trophy. Australia lost their final match and were out of the tournament. After the tournament, scans showed his stress fracture had not healed. He missed Australia's tour of Bangladesh.
Starc returned from this injury to play for New South Wales. He played two very successful matches. He took his best figures of 8 wickets for 73 runs. Then he became the first bowler to take a hat-trick in each innings of a Sheffield Shield match. This had never happened in Australia before. He was named "player of the match" for both games.
Starc played in the first three matches of the Ashes. Australia won all three and got the Ashes back. But Starc hurt his heel in the third match. He decided not to play in the Boxing Day Test. Starc was fit enough for the final match and the ODI series. But his bowling was slower than usual.
Starc recovered from his injury. He then went to South Africa for a tour in 2018. In the first Test, he took 9 wickets for 109 runs. He won the "Man of the Match" award. He could make the ball reverse swing. In the second Test, Starc had a calf problem and bowled poorly. He was ruled out of the final match with a stress fracture in his right leg. The series was affected by a team controversy. The Australian team was caught using sandpaper to rough the cricket ball. This is against the rules. Starc was not found to be involved.
Return to Form and World Cup Record (2018–2022)
Starc did not play cricket for over three years. He worked on his bowling action during this break. He had changed his action because of injuries. This made the ball swing less. He made changes to bowl like he did in the 2015 World Cup. In the 2018–19 season, the ball swung more again.
Starc struggled in the 2018–19 Border–Gavaskar Trophy series against India. His bowling was not good. He faced a lot of criticism. Starc tried to ignore the criticism and focus on bowling fast. This helped him play better in the next Test series against Sri Lanka. His bowling speed was often 150 km/h. He helped Australia win the series by taking 10 wickets in the second Test.
After the match, scans showed Starc had torn a muscle in his chest. He could not play in Australia's tour of India. He was supposed to return for the next ODI series. But he hurt his injury again when he started bowling. In April 2019, he was named in Australia's team for the 2019 Cricket World Cup. He finally returned to cricket in May. In his first game back, he bowled at his normal speed and took 2 wickets.
2019 Cricket World Cup Record
Australia's first World Cup match was against the West Indies. Starc took five wickets. He took wickets at important times to help Australia win. One of his wickets was a debated dismissal of Chris Gayle. The umpire called Gayle out twice, but Gayle used the review system to overturn the decisions. In a later over, the umpire called Gayle out again. Gayle reviewed it, but this time the decision stood. Later replays showed Starc had bowled a no-ball just before the wicket. If called, Gayle would have had a "free hit" and could not have been out. During this game, Starc also became the fastest bowler to take 150 wickets in ODIs. He did it in 77 games.
On 29 June 2019, in the match against New Zealand, Starc became the first bowler to take three five-wicket hauls at the Cricket World Cup. He finished the tournament with 27 wickets. This is a record for the most wickets by one player in a single World Cup.
Recent Years (2019–2022)
In July 2019, Starc was named in Australia's team for the 2019 Ashes series in England. He played only one game, taking 4 wickets. Australia chose to rotate their fast bowlers during the series.
In July 2020, Starc was named in a large group of players to train for a possible tour to England. This was after the COVID-19 pandemic. In August 2020, Cricket Australia confirmed the tour. Starc was included.
In November 2020, Starc was nominated for an award: ICC Men's ODI Cricketer of the Decade. The next month, in the second Test against India, Starc took his 250th wicket in Test cricket. In August 2021, in the first match against Bangladesh, Starc became the first Australian bowler to take 50 wickets in T20I cricket. Later that month, Starc was named in Australia's team for the 2021 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. He took nine wickets in seven matches.
Starc was named in the 2021-22 Ashes series Test team. He played well with both the ball and bat. He scored runs as a good lower-order batsman. He took 19 wickets in 5 matches. Starc scored 155 runs, helping the Australian cricket team win the Ashes series 4–0.
2023 Cricket World Cup
He was part of the team that won the 2023 Cricket World Cup in India. He took 16 wickets in 10 matches. He played a very important role in the knockout games. He took 3 wickets for 34 runs in the semi-final against South Africa. He also took 3 wickets for 55 runs in the final against India. A league match against New Zealand was his first World Cup game without taking a wicket.
2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup
In May 2024, he was named in Australia’s team for the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup tournament. In a Super-8 match against India, he gave away 29 runs in one over to Rohit Sharma. This was his most expensive over ever. He took 5 wickets in the tournament.
Indian Premier League
Mitchell Starc has been signed by many teams in the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, he has missed more seasons than he has played. This is due to injuries and his duties with the Australian national team. As of 2024, he has only played for Royal Challengers Bangalore and Kolkata Knight Riders. He joined Kolkata Knight Riders for a record-breaking transfer fee.
In 2014, Royal Challengers Bangalore signed Starc to play in the 2014 IPL. In one match, Starc took two amazing catches near the boundary. Starc used a different way to catch the ball than most Australian cricketers. He said he had used this method since he was a child. In a match in May, Starc had an argument with Mumbai batsman Kieron Pollard. Starc bowled a fast ball that Pollard missed. They exchanged words. Then, as Starc was about to bowl again, Pollard moved away from the batting area. Starc still bowled the ball towards Pollard's legs. Pollard swung his bat, and it slipped out of his hand. Both players were fined part of their match fee.
Starc's start to the 2015 season was delayed because of a knee injury. Before Starc arrived, Bangalore was at the bottom of the IPL table. But when Starc returned, he led Bangalore's bowling attack. The team improved a lot. Royal Challengers Bangalore lost only one of their next seven matches. Starc finished the tournament with 20 wickets. He missed the IPL in 2016 because of a foot injury. In February 2017, he left Royal Challengers Bangalore. He wanted to reduce his workload and focus on his fitness.
In January 2018, Kolkata Knight Riders bought Starc for a lot of money. He was the second most expensive Australian player bought in the 2018 auction. But he never played a match for the team. He was ruled out of the 2018 Indian Premier League due to an injury. The 2019 Indian Premier League was set to happen just before the 2019 Cricket World Cup. Cricket Australia decided that players chosen for the World Cup would have to leave the IPL early. In November 2018, Kolkata released Starc from his contract. This allowed him to prepare for the World Cup.
Starc decided not to play in the 2022 season. He said he was tired from being in "bubbles" (strict isolation rules). He decided to return for the 2024 season. Kolkata Knight Riders bought him for a record amount of money. This was the most expensive buy in IPL auction history. He played in his first IPL since 2015. On 26 May 2024, Starc bowled 3 overs, taking 2 wickets for 14 runs. This helped Kolkata Knight Riders win the Tata IPL Final against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Starc was bought by Delhi Capitals to play in the 2025 Indian Premier League.
Achievements and Awards
- 2015 World Cup Player of the Tournament
- ICC Men's Test Team of the Year: 2016, 2017, 2019, 2023
- ICC Men's ODI Team of the Year: 2013, 2015, 2016, 2019
- Allan Border Medal: 2022
- Shane Warne Men's Test Player of the Year: 2017
- Australian Men's ODI Player of the Year: 2022
- ICC Cricket World Cup Top Wicket Taker: 2015, 2019
- Marsh One Day Cup Player of the Tournament: 2015–16
Personal Life
Starc's family has roots in Slovenia. He is the older brother of Brandon Starc, who is an Australian Olympic high jumper.
In 2015, Starc got engaged to fellow Australian cricketer Alyssa Healy. They got married on 15 April 2016. Starc and Healy were only the third married couple to both play Test cricket. They met when they were 9 years old. Both of them were wicketkeepers for Northern Districts. In March 2020, Starc flew home early from a tour. He wanted to watch Healy play in the final of the 2020 ICC Women's T20 World Cup.
Starc supports the Greater Western Sydney Giants in the Australian Football League. He also supports the St George Illawarra Dragons in the National Rugby League.
See also
- List of international cricket five-wicket hauls by Mitchell Starc
