Australian paceman Mitchell Starc is on a career-best tear—not that you’d know it from the latest ICC rankings.
Despite another epic day terrorising the English batsmen at the Gabba, the 35-year-old left armer sits only a modest sixth on the official ICC Test bowler list and has actually dropped a place in the past fortnight.
Curiously, the rankings take into account all Test matches up until the India-South Africa series that ended on 26 November 2025—meaning Starc’s match-winning 10-wicket haul in the First Ashes Test in Perth is included.
Despite having now taken a remarkable 23 wickets at an average of just 7.78 since the Third Test against the West Indies back in July, Starc still comfortably trails the top three bowlers: India’s Jasprit Bumrah, Kiwi Matt Henry and Pakistan’s Noman Ali.
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South Africa’s Marco Jansen and even Australian teammate Pat Cummins, who hasn’t played a Test match since the West Indies tour, also sit ahead of him.
As tends to be the way with cricket’s governing body, the ICC player rankings include a variety of somewhat mysterious weightings which can influence performance rankings—up and down—based on criteria such as consistency, opposition quality, bowling workload and more.
Regardless of the official rankings, Starc has now become the highest wicket-taking left arm quick in Test cricket history, surpassing Wasim Akram on Day One in Brisbane.
Based on current form, it’s likely there are plenty more wickets to come in this Ashes Series.
Sorry England.
Mitchell Starc: Test Bowling Record Since West Indies Third Test
West Indies Third Test, Jamaica
- 1st Innings 1-32
- 2nd Innings 6-9
Ashes First Test, Perth
- 1st Innings 7-58
- 2nd Innings 3-55
Ashes SecondTest, Brisbane
- 1st Innings 6-71*
- 2nd Innings