‘Can’t fathom’: How milestone man Mitchell Starc evolved from fragile speedster to Aussie ‘warrior’

After receiving his baggy green aged 21, Mitchell Starc spent the first half of his Test career battling the misconception he was an erratic and fragile fast bowler.

Lingering in the shadows of fellow left-armed quick Mitchell Johnson, Starc slipped in and out of the starting XI for several years while battling form and injury, while national selectors were reluctant to pick him for consecutive Tests. He was inexplicably rested for the 2012 Boxing Day Test despite taking a five-wicket haul the previous week in Hobart.

West Indies vs Australia Test & T20I Series | Watch every ball LIVE with ESPN, available on Kayo Sports | New to Kayo? Get your first month for just $1. Limited time offer >

He became pigeonholed as a white-ball specialist, only playing 14 Tests across the first four years of his international career. But even after cementing his spot in the Test side in 2015, sceptics remained.

The late Shane Warne was an outspoken critic — calling him “soft” in late 2014 — while other pundits questioned his body language, his consistency, his endurance, whether his swing and pace compensated for his inaccuracy.

As recently as the 2019 Ashes, the New South Welshman carried drinks for four of Australia’s five matches, ousted by the reliable and metronomic Peter Siddle. He also struggled for rhythm during home Test campaigns against India in 2018/19 and 2020/21, partly why Australia failed to win the coveted Border-Gavaskar Trophy for nearly a decade.

But now, on the eve of his 100th Test match, Starc is the epitome of durability within Australian cricket. Once wrapped in cotton wool, he has played 21 consecutive Tests since June 2023, taking 81 wickets at 26.91 during that period.

And he’s still one of the fastest bowlers in the country.

“He’s bowling 145km/h at the end of that game,” Australian captain Pat Cummins said of Starc following last week’s victory over the West Indies in St. George’s.

“I can’t fathom playing 100 games and keeping that kind of speed.

“He’s just a warrior. Turns up every week and wants to play no matter what. Such a low-fuss guy.

“He just grits his teeth and gets on with it.”

Australia's bowler Mitchell Starc. Photo by Patrick Hamilton / AFP Source: AFP

Starc has become Australia’s ironman, playing through pain and grimacing through niggles when required for national duty. He suffered a finger tendon injury during the 2022 Boxing Day Test, but continued bowling with blood oozing from the wound, rubbing red stains onto his pants between deliveries.

The evergreen paceman battled a rib complaint during last summer’s New Year’s Test at the SCG, helping Australia win back the Border-Gavaskar Trophy for the first time in a decade.

“You think of the surfaces that we play on in Australia, they’re firm, they’re hard, they take their toll,” Australian coach Andrew McDonald told reporters this week.

“His resilience, his planning, his preparation, along with the medical team, he’s sacrificed a fair bit along the way as well.”

This week, Starc will become the 16th Australian to play a century of Tests, but significantly just the second fast bowler, alongside the legendary Glenn McGrath. Only three compatriots have more Test wickets to their name - McGrath, Shane Warne and Nathan Lyon.

A testament to his resilience and enduring skill, Starc’s twilight years have cemented him in the upper echelon of Australian sporting greats.

On the office wall of Starc’s Northern Beaches home sits a piece of memorabilia honouring cricketers who have more than 400 Test wickets, a framed print in a silent auction over a decade ago.

Currently on 395 Test scalps, Starc is on the verge of adding his own name to the illustrious list.

Australia's Mitchell Starc. AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan Source: AP

The leading wicket-taker of two World Cup campaigns, Starc will be remembered as one of Australia’s greatest white-ball cricketers, but he has always prioritised Test cricket.

His decision to forgo multiple Indian Premier League deals, predicted to be worth in excess of $10 million, to prioritise red-ball commitments has been well-documented - and he perhaps doesn’t receive enough praise for the sacrifice.

“He stepped away from IPL for a number of years just to make sure he was right for Test matches for Australia, so for him to reach that milestone is huge respect, especially for a fast bowler,” former Australian teammate Michael Hussey told Fox Cricket.

“He’s someone that charges in day in and day out. It’s a real credit to his longevity and athleticism and powers of recovery.

“To get to 100 Tests for anyone, that is a great achievement, but for a fast bowler is even better.

“He’s still performing and performing well and deserves his place (in the team). It’s not like he’s crawling to 100 Test matches, he’s powering through that milestone.”

Starc has been the dream accomplice for Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Nathan Lyon, with the quartet forming one of cricket’s most prolific bowling attacks. In 35 Tests together, they have taken 567 wickets at 25.84.

Not only has Starc created footmarks for Lyon to target outside the right-hander’s off stump, but courtesy of his added pace and bounce, he’s often the player Cummins turns to when cleaning up the tail.

“He’s been so important for Australia because he just compliments the other bowlers so well,” Hussey continued.

“Being a left-armer for one, but he’s generally someone that tries to bowl a lot fuller and look to swing the ball, while Cummins and Hazlewood more hit the pitch nice and hard.”

Australia’s captain Pat Cummins. Photo by DAVID GRAY / AFP Source: AFP

Conceding 3.42 runs per over across his Test career, Starc has an expensive economy rate when compared to other fast bowlers, which is inevitable for a swing bowler tasked with targeting the stumps.

He’s not immune from wayward deliveries, but the upside is his ability to take wickets quickly. Only one Test cricketer has more wickets with a lower strike rate - South African legend Dale Steyn.

“Sometimes he got criticised for not being able to control the ball as much as he probably would’ve liked, spray some balls down the leg side or bowl really full,” Hussey said.

“But he always had the ability to pick up wickets, and that’s because he’s got great ability with a brand-new ball, but he can also bowl extremely well with the old ball.

“Even if he’s not quite at his best, he’s still got the ability (to take wickets). Very rarely does he go through an innings without picking up at least a couple of wickets along the way.

“He’s been a great asset to Australia.”

Elsewhere, McDonald praised Starc for evolving and improving his game over the past decade, becoming a bowler who can hold line and length when required.

”If you looked at him as a younger bowler, it was all about speed and swing and getting the ball full ... now he can do any role you want,” McDonald explained.

“He’s evolved. He’s still got those full swinging deliveries, and it’s really encouraging that at the right time he’s able to hold length and control the scoreboard.”

It only feels appropriate that Starc’s 100th Test — commencing on Sunday morning AEST in Kingston — will be a pink-ball match, as no cricketer has more wickets in day-night Tests, 74 scalps at 18.14. He’s at times been unplayable with the pink Kookaburra, particularly at Adelaide Oval.

And if Starc decides to follow in the footsteps of Ashes foes James Anderson and Stuart Broad, who gave up national white-ball duties in their mid-thirties to prioritise Test cricket, there’s no reason he couldn’t surpass McGrath’s tally of 124 caps.

The third and final Test between the West Indies and Australia gets underway Jamaica’s Sabina Park on Sunday at 4.30am AEST.

Australian bowler Mitchell Starc. AAP Image/Dave Hunt Source: AAP

Fast bowlers that have played 100 Tests

James Anderson (ENG)

Stuart Broad (ENG)

Glenn McGrath (AUS)

Courtney Walsh (WI)

Wasim Akram (PAK)

Shaun Pollock (RSA)

Ishant Sharma (IND)

Makhaya Ntini (RSA)

Chaminda Vaas (SL)

Tim Southee (NZ)

Click here to read article