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Mitchell Starc Ends 78-Year Wait With Record-Breaking 15-Ball Fifer Against West Indies

Soumyajit Dutta

Mitchell Starc [Source: AP Photos]Mitchell Starc [Source: AP Photos]

In a spell of pure, unadulterated fast-bowling ferocity during Australia's series-clinching victory over the West Indies, Mitchell Starc seized the mantle of the fastest five-wicket haul in Test history, needing a paltry 15 balls.

The left-arm speedster, playing his 100th Test, obliterated a mark that had stood for 78 years. He surged past the previous benchmark of 19 balls, shared by Australia's Ernie Toshack, England's Stuart Broad, his own teammate Scott Boland, and Shane Watson.

Mitchell Starc Breaks The Unbreakable

Ernie Toshack's 19-ball feat against India in December 1947 had stood as the pinnacle of fast-bowling strikes for nearly eight decades, surviving challenges from legends and modern greats alike. Mitchell Starc, with his epic feat, now possesses the ultimate Test burst.  

Player
Balls Taken
Opponent Country
Year
Mitchell Starc15 ballsWest Indies2025*
Ernie Toshack19 ballsIndia1947
Stuart Broad19 ballsAustralia2015
Scott Boland19 ballsEngland2021
Shane Watson21 ballsSouth Africa2011

(Fewest balls taken to snap a five-fer in Tests)

Resuming Day 3 with West Indies 24/4 chasing 204, Starc was unplayable from his first delivery at Sabina Park. He ripped through the heart of the Windies' fragile batting in a whirlwind 12 minutes of play. 15 legitimate deliveries. 5 wickets for 11 runs. Figures of 3.5-1-11-5. The fastest five-fer ever witnessed in 147 years of Test cricket.

The Historic Caribbean Collapse Orchestrated By Starc

Starc's record demolition was the brutal epicentre of the West Indies' total implosion to 27 all out, the second-lowest score in Test history and their lowest ever. From 24/4 overnight, they lost 6 wickets for 3 runs in 19 balls, with Starc taking 5 of them. The carnage was only halted briefly by Alzarri Joseph's boundary at 26/9, before Starc fittingly sealed the innings and the 176-run victory.

Starc's 15 balls of history propelled Australia to a crushing victory, securing a comprehensive 3-0 series whitewash and underlining their relentless pace attack's potency. The 78-year wait for someone to bowl a five-wicket haul faster than Ernie Toshack is finally over, demolished in a Kingston dawn by a modern great at his devastating best.