Age is just a number to him. Mitchell Starc proved that in the recently concluded Ashes series. Even at 35, he bowled with fire in Tests. Josh Hazlewood couldn't play in this series due to injury. Pat Cummins played only one match.
However, Starc caught attention by single-handedly leading Australia's pace attack. He took a total of 31 wickets in five Tests against England. Now he has received the reward for that. He has been chosen as the best cricketer of December according to the ICC.
Breaking Australian drought
Starc set a record by receiving this award. No Australian cricketer has received this award in the last two years. Pat Cummins was last named ICC's best in December 2023. Starc broke that streak.
In the race for this award, he was competing with West Indies' Justin Greaves and New Zealand's Jacob Duffy. Starc won the best title, leaving them behind. And in the Ashes, he made important contributions not only with the ball but also with the bat. He scored 77 and 54 runs respectively in the Brisbane and Adelaide Tests.
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Starc’s reaction
Starc is elated after winning this award. He said, "Getting the ICC's best title is very honourable. More importantly, I'm receiving this award after winning the Ashes at home. As a team, we have performed brilliantly in the last few years. Maintaining that consistency and reaching the World Test Championship final is now our goal."
Starc has played 105 matches in red-ball cricket. He has taken a total of 433 wickets. With the bat, he has scored 2478 runs. This includes 13 half-centuries.
