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Mitchell Starc and the fire within: The Ashes warrior who refuses to slow down

Soumyajit Dutta

Mitchell Starc [Source: @Visharad_KW22/X.com]Mitchell Starc [Source: @Visharad_KW22/X.com]

"Mitchell Starc isn’t just a bowler or a pacer, he isn’t a myth, he isn’t a legend......he’s something beyond all of that When he runs in… all you can do is surrender..."

The Ashes 2025-26 has just got underway, and the very first day at Perth Optus Stadium saw the crowd burst out in cheers in the very first over. The reason? The GOAT, Mitchell Starc. Starc and his love affair for first-over breakthroughs are legendary, and Zak Crawley just had to meet the fate there.

A searing out-swinging delivery and an edge caught by Usman Khawaja at the slip. Starc flies with his trademark celebration, but that exact celebration came again six more times in the match on a 'Green Monster', Perth pitch.

Starc's 7-fer, including the wicket of Ben Stokes is a stark reminder that the Aussie legend and his Ashes legacy is still going strong even at the pen-ultimate phase of his career.

A total of 104 wickets in The Ashes from 43 innings at an average of 26.08 is a praiseworthy figure. For instance, Josh Hazlewood, who stepped into the Ashes in 2015, just two years after Starc's Ashes debut, bagged 76 wickets from 33 innings. 

Hence, Starc's presence makes all the difference, even in a pace-depleted attack that the hosts fielded for the first Test.

The Ashes legacy of Mitchell Starc built on pure hunger

Moreover, Starc's Ashes legacy is built on his ability to hammer through the England batting lineup. The year-on-year growth of the left-arm menace is also thought-provoking since he has been at it, even battling through injuries.

In 2018 and in 2022, Starc had serious issues with his physical health. Seven years back, Mitchell Starc had a tibial bone stress fracture in his right leg, and in 2022, he sustained two different finger injuries to his left bowling hand. Despite the hurdles, Starc overcame them with 23 wickets from 7 matches in the 2023 Ashes.

Here's how the Aussie quick has been amping up his legacy in the Ashes besides names like Glenn McGrath since his Ashes debut in 2013.

Mitchell Starc's Ashes stats

Year
Innings
Wickets
Average
YoY Growth (%)
201361132.45–
201591830.5+63.6
201761921.05+5.5
20182339.33–84.2
20192431.5+33.3
202161419.64+250.0
20224541.4–64.3
202372327.08+360.0

Major peaks in Starc's performance in The Ashes

  • 2017: Small jump (+5.5%), but consistency remained elite.
  • 2021: Huge rebound saw 250% growth, marking a strong resurgence.
  • 2023: Explosive peak saw 360% growth, one of the best phases of his career.

Declines in performances

  • 2018: Significant injury-related drop (–84%).
  • 2022: Another fall (–64%).
  • 2025: Drop to 7 wickets, mainly due to fewer matches.

Key points in Starc's Ashes performance

  • Despite injury troughs, Starc consistently makes massive comebacks (2021, 2023).
  • His peaks show that whenever he plays fully fit, he returns to world-class levels.
  • The 2023 surge and the 7/58 in the current Test reinforce his durability and elite impact deep into his career.

Why Starc deserves the true GOAT title?

It is rare for fiery pacers to remain dominant past 30, given the immense physical toll. Yet Starc, often overshadowed in "GOAT" conversations by raw data favouring contemporaries like Bumrah, stands apart. 

He is a cricketer of substance, a competitor who avoids fitness dramas, doesn't pad stats with tailender wickets, rarely feasts on minnows, and offers no excuses. 

Starc is Going On At Top-level, even today...

The real GOAT is this raw, battle-hardened, 6ft 3 inch force, who simply lives to send stumps cartwheeling, even at 35.