Mitchell Starc has dominated the Ashes series. Australian fast bowlers have taken 22 wickets in the first 3 matches of the ongoing series against England. Due to Starc’s brilliant performance, Australia has taken an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series. He has taken more than 5 wickets twice. He took 7 wickets in the first innings of the first Test played in Perth. Starc took 6 wickets in the first innings of the second Test played in Brisbane. Due to this performance, he has broken the 30 year old record of former Pakistani bowler Waqar Younis.

Mitchell Starc is the only bowler to do this in 2025

Mitchell Starc took 3 wickets in the second innings of the third Test played in Adelaide. With this, he has taken 51 Test wickets in the year 2025, he is the only bowler to do so. There is still one more Test (Boxing Day Test) left for Australia this year. This means that Starc has a chance to increase this number, but before that he has already broken many big records. In terms of most Test wickets in the ongoing year (2025), Indian bowler Mohammad Siraj is at second place, who has 43 wickets to his name.

Stark created history

Mitchell Starc has taken 50 wickets this year with a strike rate of 28.7. He has made the record of best strike rate in the calendar year, this record was in the name of former Pakistan bowler Waqar Younis for 30 years. In the 148-year-old Test history, Starc has become the bowler with the best strike rate in a calendar year.

Waqar Younis made this record in 1993, when he took 55 wickets with a strike rate of 29.5. Waqar Younis and Mitchell Starc are the only ones who have taken 50 or more wickets in a calendar year with a strike rate of less than 30.

Now in this matter, only England’s George Lohman is ahead of Starc, who took 38 wickets with a strike rate of 18 in 1886. Although he was not able to take 50 wickets that year, Starc has the best strike rate among the bowlers who have taken 50 wickets in a calendar year.

Jasprit Bumrah also came close

Indian fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah also came close to this record of Waqar Younis. Bumrah took 71 Test wickets in 2024, his strike rate was 30.1. In 2024 itself, Gus Atkinson of England had taken 52 wickets, his strike rate was 35.6.