Mitchell Starc owns seven fifers in home Tests: Decoding stats
Mitchell Starc, the spearhead of Australia's pace attack, will be instrumental to his side's successs in the upcoming five-Test series against India, starting on November 22 at Perth's Optus Stadium. He is well versed with the conditions in Australia as he is among the three pacers with 200-plus Test wickets Down Under. The left-arm speedster has also enjoyed his battles versus India. Let's decode his Test numbers at home.
Seven fifers in Australia for Starc
Having played 50 Tests at home, Starc has scalped 217 wickets at 26.28. The tally includes seven fifers (5W: 1). Glenn McGrath (289) and Dennis Lillee (231) are the only Aussie pacers with more Test scalps at home. Last year, he became the second left-arm bowler in the world to take 200 Test wickets at home, the first being Sri Lanka's Rangana Herath who took 278 scalps. This makes Starc the only left-arm fast bowler to achieve the same.
Only bowler with over 50 wickets in D/N Tests
Starc is presently the leading wicket-taker in Day/Night Test matches. He is the only bowler to have taken over 50 wickets in pink-ball Tests. As per ESPNcricinfo, he owns 66 wickets from 12 Day/Night Tests at an incredible average of 18.71. The tally includes three five-wicket hauls. All of his 12 pink-ball Test appearances have come at home.
His numbers against India
Starc is closing in on 50 Test scalps against the Indian unit. He owns 48 wickets across 18 Tests against them at 38.54. The pacer is yet to take a fifer against them. 35 of his scalps against India have come in 11 home Tests as his average comes down to 34.82 in this regard. Starc would want to improve these numbers.
Here are his overall stats
Earlier this year, Starc became only the fifth Australian bowler to complete 350 wickets in this format. Playing his 89th Test match, Starc has raced to 358 wickets at an average of 27.74. Overall, Starc owns 14 fifers in the format as the tally also includes two 10-wicket match hauls. Shane Warne (708), McGrath (563), Nathan Lyon (512), and Lille (355) are the only Australians with more Test wickets.
