Starc jumps India great as world’s best with career-first gong
After 15 years and 107 Tests, Mitchell Starc has reached the summit of his craft.
For the first time in that long and glittering career, Starc was unveiled by the ICC as the new No.1 on the Test bowling rankings, displacing India’s Jasprit Bumrah.
Mitchell Starc took 6-12 as Bangladesh were dismissed for just 64 on day one. Getty Images
Starc jumped both Bumrah and New Zealand’s Matt Henry on the rankings after demolishing Bangladesh with 6-12 and 4-39 in Mackay.
Pat Cummins (fourth), Scott Boland (seventh), Josh Hazlewood (ninth) and Nathan Lyon (10th) are other Australians in the top 10.
Starc’s previous best position was second but the big left-armer has been on a tear since last year’s World Test Championship final, snaring 63 wickets at an average of 17.33.
Now 36, Starc made his Test debut against New Zealand in 2011 and has gradually improved his accuracy while not losing much of his pace and none of his swing.
He is now 10th on the list of all-time Test wicket-takers with 445, having overtaken South Africa’s Dale Steyn (439) in Mackay.
Starc’s Test average is now an excellent 26.12, and he overtook Sri Lanka’s Rangana Herath as the most prolific left-arm bowler in Test history in the drawn series against Bangladesh.
“You’re never as good or bad as you think, or other people think you are,” Starc told AAP.
“I still moan and whinge about anything that goes wrong or feels wrong. Even heading into (last) summer, it didn’t feel like it clicked until the day before the Ashes.
“But I think what’s been a feature of our group and led by Ron (coach Andrew McDonald) and Pat (Cummins), is that whether it’s a good day, bad day, good over, bad spell, it’s done. Move on.
“When you’re 36, and you’ve been around for 16 years, you’d like to think you’ve improved or got better at something. You’re also around that long because you’re able to develop and learn and improve.”
