Mitchell Starc Shatters Records in 100th Test, Achieves Rare Milestone

Juy 16, 2025 - Australia's fast bowler Mitchell Starc wrote his name in the history books with a deadly spell against West Indies. The Jamaica pitch turned into a nightmare for the batsmen.

Australia’s second innings ended at just 121 runs, but thanks to the big lead from the first innings, they set a target of 204 runs for West Indies. Looking at the pitch, it was clear that chasing the target would not be easy. Then came Starc like a storm. He shocked West Indies by taking three wickets in his very first over.

The left-arm fast bowler got John Campbell out on the first ball of his spell. In the same over, he also dismissed Kevon Anderson and Brandon King. Then, in his third over, Starc made history by removing Michael Lewis and Shai Hope.

Starc's 400th Test Wicket in 100th Match

Lewis became Starc's 400th victim in Test cricket. Starc achieved this big milestone in his 100th Test match. He is now the fourth Australian and the third left-arm fast bowler from Australia to take 400 wickets in Test history.

World Record

Starc created a world record with his deadly spell. He became the first bowler in the world to take five wickets in an innings in the fewest number of balls. The left-arm fast bowler picked up five wickets in just 15 balls.

Earlier, this record was shared by Ernie Toshack, Stuart Broad and Scott Boland, who had taken five wickets in 19 balls.

Fastest Five-Wicket Hauls in Test Cricket (By Balls Bowled)

Player      Opponent Team     Balls/Year

Mitchell Starc    West Indies               15/2025

Ernie Toshack    India                          19/1947

Stuart Broad     Australia                  19/2015

Scott Boland     England                 19/2021

Shane Watson    South Africa       21/2011

History Repeats After 19 Years

Starc took three wickets in the first over of his spell, repeating history after 19 years. He is only the second bowler in the world to do this in Test cricket since 2006. Before him, Irfan Pathan had taken three wickets in the first over during the Karachi Test against Pakistan in 2006.

Starc bowled 19,062 balls to complete 400 wickets in Tests. He is now the second fastest in terms of balls bowled to reach this mark. The fastest remains Dale Steyn of South Africa, who took 16,634 balls to get to 400 wickets.

Murali's Record Broken

Starc took 6 wickets for just 9 runs, which is now the best bowling performance ever in a cricketer's 100th Test. He broke the previous record of Muttiah Muralitharan, who took 6 wickets for 54 runs against Bangladesh in 2006.