Mitchell Starc
Mitchell Starc delivered a sensational performance to join the elite 400-wicket club in Test cricket, doing so in record-breaking style during the third day of the day-night Test against the West Indies at Sabina Park. In his milestone 100th Test, Starc stunned the cricketing world by taking the fastest five-wicket haul in men’s Test history — completing the feat in just 15 balls.
Starc’s extraordinary spell began with a dream opening over that immediately dismantled the West Indies top order. On the very first ball of the innings, he removed opener John Campbell, who edged a perfectly pitched outswinger to substitute wicketkeeper Josh Inglis.
Inglis was filling in for Alex Carey, who had been ruled out with a concussion. It marked the fourth time in Starc’s career that he had taken a wicket with the opening delivery of an innings — a remarkable feat in itself.
Just four balls later, Starc dismissed debutant Kevlon Anderson with a vicious inswinger that struck him plumb in front of middle stump. Although Anderson opted to review the decision, the call remained unchanged, highlighting just how obvious the dismissal was.
On the very next delivery, Starc struck again, bowling Brandon King with another sharp inswinger that clipped the inside edge before shattering the stumps. The West Indies were suddenly reeling at 0 for 3 — a scoreline only witnessed six times in the history of Test cricket.
Though Mikyle Louis managed to survive Starc’s hat-trick ball, he couldn’t escape for long. In Starc’s next over, he delivered another trademark inswinger to trap Louis leg-before, securing his 400th Test wicket. With that, Starc joined the ranks of Australian greats Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, and Nathan Lyon as only the fourth Australian to reach the milestone.
The historic spell continued when, just two balls later, Starc dismissed Shai Hope, again lbw, to complete his five-wicket haul in only 15 balls — breaking the previous joint record of 19 balls held by Ernie Toshack, Stuart Broad, and Scott Boland.
Adding to the drama, fellow Australian pacer Scott Boland took a hat-trick to help bowl the West Indies out for just 27 — their second-lowest total in Test history — sealing a crushing 0-3 series defeat for the hosts.
Already known as the undisputed king of pink-ball cricket due to his dominance in day-night Tests at home, Starc extended his legend with this performance in Australia’s first-ever overseas pink-ball Test. His remarkable display at Sabina Park will go down as one of the most devastating spells in the annals of Test match history.
