Ashes 2025: Mitchell Starc breaks history, shatters Waqar Younis’ 30-year-old Test record

Mitchell Starc etched his name into the record books with a remarkable all-round performance as Australia sealed the Ashes in emphatic fashion, defeating England by 82 runs at the Adelaide Oval to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the five-match series. The left-arm fast bowler capped another outstanding Test with figures of 3 for 62 in England’s second innings, having already claimed a wicket in the first. Starc also made a vital contribution with the bat, registering a half-century in Australia’s first innings. At 35, he has been the standout bowler of the series, leading the wicket charts with 22 dismissals, including two five-wicket hauls.

Starc’s haul in Adelaide also took him to a historic milestone.

He became the only cricketer to claim 50 Test wickets in 2025, reaching 51 scalps for the year. India’s Mohammed Siraj sits second on the list with 43 wickets, followed closely by Zimbabwe’s Blessing Muzarabani on 42. Notably, all three bowlers have featured in 10 Test matches during the year. What truly sets Starc apart, however, is the manner in which he has taken those wickets. His strike-rate of 28.7 is the best ever recorded in a calendar year in Test cricket among bowlers with at least 50 wickets, across the format’s 148-year history. In doing so, Starc broke a long-standing record held by Pakistan great Waqar Younis, who took 55 wickets in 1993 at a strike-rate of 29.5. Starc and Waqar remain the only two bowlers in history to take 50 or more Test wickets in a year while striking at under 30.

Best SR In Test Cricket By A Bowler In A Year (Minimum - 50 Wickets)

The elite nature of Starc’s achievement is underlined by the company he now keeps. His strike-rate surpasses those of Jasprit Bumrah, who took 71 wickets in 2024 at 30.1, Gus Atkinson’s 52 wickets at 35.6 in 2024, and Dale Steyn’s 74 wickets at 35.8 in 2008. Starc’s numbers are equally impressive when it comes to average. His 17.15 in 2025 is the eighth best overall and the fifth best among bowlers who have taken 50 or more wickets in a single year. Only legends such as Imran Khan, Sydney Barnes, Jasprit Bumrah, Waqar Younis, Joel Garner,

Ravichandran Ashwin

and Muttiah Muralitharan have recorded better figures. The only bowler in history to combine a better strike-rate than Starc’s 28.7 with a significant wicket haul in a year remains England’s George Lohmann, who claimed 38 wickets in 1886 at an extraordinary strike-rate of 18.0. With one Test still to come in 2025, Starc has the opportunity to push his record even further. Australia and England meet next at the Melbourne Cricket Ground for the Boxing Day Test, beginning Friday, December 26.

While England will be playing largely for pride, valuable World Test Championship points will also be at stake. This season has clearly been the finest of Starc’s Test career. His previous best came in 2016, when he picked up 50 wickets in eight matches at an average of 22.58 and a strike-rate of 39. In 2025, he has gone several steps further, producing a year that now stands among the greatest ever by a fast bowler in Test cricket.