Mitchell Starc celebrated an extraordinary achievement in his 100th Test match. He passed his 402nd wicket to become the fourth Australian bowler to go over 400 wickets in Test cricket. This historic achievement puts him right up there with greats Nathan Lyon, Glenn McGrath, and Shane Warne. Starc produced a phenomenal opening game against the West Indies. He inspired the bowling attack to skittle the opposition for just 27 runs, the second-lowest score in Test history.
The game happened to be in Jamaica, where Starc produced one of the best-ever five-wicket hauls, taking 6-9. Remarkably, he did so in just 15 balls, making it the fastest five-wicket haul in Test cricket history. He began his onslaught by dismissing Mikyle Louis and Shai Hope in his third over and concluded the West Indies’ innings by removing Jayden Seales.
Starc’s extraordinary bowling performance was key in Australia’s shocking 176-run win. That victory capped off a 3-0 series clean sweep against the West Indies. At 35, he has definitely made a career for himself as one of the top pace men in the world. He is most famous for his pink ball wizardry.
West Indies captain Roston Chase expressed disappointment over his team’s batting performance.
“It’s heartbreaking to be in a position where we think we can win the game and then come out and have that poor batting display,” – Roston Chase
Chase also commented on the trouble spots that came up over and over again with the team during the series, saying,
“It’s something that has been recurring for the whole series – that makes it even more disappointing.”
In truth, Starc’s hat-trick doesn’t officially count, but his teammate Scott Boland got one against the Poms during that Test. The Australian squad now turns its attention to a five-match T20 series against the West Indies beginning July 21.
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