By Krishna Dua 
Starc Hits 100-Test Wicket Milestone vs England in Ashes Clash
BRISBANE, Australia — The Gabba’s hallowed turf witnessed cricketing history on Friday as Australia’s talismanic left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc roared to his 100th Test wicket against England, a blistering inswinger that castled Ollie Pope for 14 and ignited a frenzy among 38,000 raucous fans. The dismissal—Starc’s fourth in the morning session—arrived on Day 3 of the third Ashes Test, propelling Australia to a dominant 150-run lead with England teetering at 5-89 in their second innings. At 35, Starc became the third Australian after Shane Warne (195) and Glenn McGrath (157) to conquer the century mark solely against the old foe, a feat that underscores his metamorphosis from fiery prodigy to Ashes assassin.
The milestone, etched in the series’ cauldron after Australia’s first-innings 412—fueled by Steve Smith’s unbeaten 142—came amid a pink-ball duel under Brisbane’s brooding skies. Starc’s 3-22 spell dismantled England’s top order: Zak Crawley lbw to a 142 kph yorker (his 97th), Joe Root caught behind fending a lifter (98th), and Pope’s middle stump uprooted by a late-swerving beast that jagged back viciously. As the bails cartwheeled, Starc flung ball skyward, helmet discarded, bellowing “Come on, boys!” while captain Pat Cummins sprinted from slips to mob him. Teammate Josh Hazlewood draped the Baggy Green over his shoulders, the crowd chanting “Starc! Starc! Starc!” in rhythmic reverence.
England, chasing shadows after a 2-0 series deficit post-Perth and Adelaide routs, slumped further as Ben Stokes (18*) and Jonny Bairstow resisted in vain. Starc’s haul elevates his Ashes ledger to 100 wickets at 27.89, with 12 five-fors—a strike rate of 48.2 balls per wicket that rivals Lillee’s 49.1. “It’s the stuff of dreams—against England, every ball’s a battle,” Starc said post-play, sweat-streaked and beaming, as Alyssa Healy, his wife, watched from the stands with daughter Frankie. Cummins, hailing his vice-captain’s vice-like grip, added: “Mitch’s 100 is our 100—pure gold in green and gold.”
This landmark, arriving in Starc’s 105th Test (355 career wickets at 27.12), cements his status as Australia’s post-Anderson enforcer. With the series urn all but Australia’s—barring English miracles—the milestone transcends stats: it’s a saga of slingy sorcery, subcontinental swagger, and unyielding urn obsession, reminding why the Ashes endures as cricket’s eternal embers.
Sydney Sling to Ashes King: Starc’s Sculpted Path
Mitchell Aaron Starc’s odyssey—from Sydney’s sun-baked beaches to Brisbane’s baggy crucible—is a narrative of nurtured fury, where a left-arm slingshot honed on Northern Beaches maidans evolved into Ashes alchemy. Born July 30, 1990, in Baildon to Indian-origin dentist Michael and educator Joan—grandson of a Punjabi migrant—Starc absorbed cricket’s cadence young. At Manly Warringah’s nets, coach Dav Whatmore spotted his slingy action at 12, channeling raw pace into precision. By 15, NSW U-19s beckoned; his 2008-09 season—45 wickets at 18.20—earned a Futures League call-up.
First-class baptism in 2010 for NSW—a 5-62 vs. Tasmania—propelled ODI entry by 2012, but Tests tantalized. Debuting at Trent Bridge in 2013’s Ashes under Michael Clarke, Starc’s 5-73—felling Alastair Cook, Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell—announced arrival amid Australia’s 5-0 whitewash quest. Injuries—stress fractures sidelining 2015’s home Ashes—tempered triumph, but 2015-16’s rampage (32 wickets at 13.18, including 6-66 at The Gabba) reclaimed the urn with venomous verve. “The Ashes is personal—England’s my proving ground,” Starc reflected in a 2017 ESPNcricinfo chat, his 170 kph yorkers a vendetta verse.
Troughs tested: 2017-18’s away Ashes (14 at 38.50) under Steve Smith, 2019’s draw (14 at 38.50) amid sandpaper scars. Fatherhood—Frankie Lily’s 2020 arrival—and IPL dalliances (Delhi Daredevils, then KKR’s Rs 24.75 crore 2024 windfall) grounded the giant. Cummins’ 2021 captaincy catalyzed comeback: 2021-22’s urn reclamation (15 at 25.73), 2023’s defense (19 at 27.10). White-ball wizardry interwove: 2023 ODI WC’s 22 wickets (16.58 avg, hat-trick vs. Afghanistan), T20 WC 2024 semis push.
Stats salute: 355 Test wickets at 27.12 (18 five-fors), 100 vs. England at 27.89—seventh all-time, behind Warne/McGrath/Lillee (167)/Lindwall (103). Batting bonus: 1,856 runs at 20.17, three fifties. Partnerships propel: 150+ with Cummins since 2021, echoing McGrath-Gillespie. Off-field, Starc’s Foundation academies nurture 500 Sydney kids; Healy’s 2023 WC glory (Player of Final) mirrors marital might.
Gabba Glory: Unraveling the 100th’s Theatrics
Brisbane’s Day 3 dawned drizzly, England resuming at 3-42 overnight, hearts heavy from Adelaide’s pink-wash humiliation. Starc, wicketless Day 2 but ominous (1-28), charged from the Vulture Street End at 10:05 a.m., pink Kookaburra gleaming under floodlit haze. First over: maiden to Crawley, inswing kissing pads at 140 kph. The third ball—142 kph yorker—tailored in late, trapping Crawley lbw for 22 (Starc’s 97th). Umpire Marais Erasmus’s finger rose; Starc’s leap echoed Lillee’s 1970s lunges.
Root’s arrival—England 4-55—promised parity, but Starc’s second over scripted sorcery: a 145 kph lifter, seaming away, snicked to Carey for 8 (98th). Pope’s promenade—5-64—invited audacity, but Starc’s tactical tango (short leg, gully packed) culminated in the 100th: 143 kph inswinger, pitching on off, jaggling back to shatter middle (Pope 14). Bails danced; Starc’s roar rent the air, arms aloft, as Hazlewood and Lyon swarmed. Replays replayed eternity: seam movement off turf, a left-arm legacy locked.
Bairstow (12) fell next over—edged to Smith at second slip (101st)—sealing Starc’s 3-22 morning maraud. Stokes’ gritty 18* and Foakes’ 25 resisted, but Australia’s 150-lead loomed. Teammates’ testimonials: Cummins: “Mitch’s milestone mid-spell? Masterclass.” Smith: “His bounce breaks backs—100’s just the overture.” Healy, pitchside: “Goosebumps galore—my Mitch, immortal.”
Optus to Gabba: Perth’s 4-45 (Root, Pope, Stokes, Wood) paved; Brisbane’s burst buried. England’s Stokes: “Starc’s unplayable—swings like ’71 Lillee.” Broadcaster Nasser Hussain: “Left-arm lottery—England’s urn urned.”
Eternal Enmity: Starc’s Symphony Against the Old Enemy
The Ashes, cricket’s crucible since Spofforth’s 1882 demon, is Starc’s sonnet. 2013 debut: 5-73, England’s 215 a harbinger. 2015 home: 32 at 13.18, Gabba 6-66 urn-usher. 2017-18 away: 14 at 38.50, Lord’s lbw of Root a lone laurel. 2019 draw: 14 at 38.50, Headingley heroics (4-37) amid farce.
Quarry quintet: Cook (12), Root (10), Stokes (8), Buttler (7), Bairstow (6). 2021-22 reclamation: 15 at 25.73, Sydney yorker yorking James Anderson. 2023 defense: 19 at 27.10, Lord’s bouncer barrage on Brook. Quirks: 2015 Oval hat-trick tease (three in four), 2023 Edgbaston 5-78 hobbling Bazball.
England’s echoes: Anderson’s 2015 Trent Bridge 6-47, Broad’s 2019 Old Trafford 6-75. Yet, Starc’s supremacy: 100 to Poms’ pacers’ 85 vs. Oz (2013-25). McCullum’s Bazball—blitzkrieg batting—meets Starc’s bite: 2023 Headingley 5-78 hobbled the charge.
Pantheon perch: Warne (195), McGrath (157), Lillee (167), Lindwall (103), O’Reilly (101). Lyon (120) looms; Hazlewood (85) hunts. Starc’s script: pace with poetry, inspiring Spencer Johnson et al.
Cummins’ Conclave: Captaincy Craft and Starc Synergy
Pat Cummins’ 2021 coronation catalyzed Starc’s crescendo. Their 150+ wicket waltz rivals Border’s bonds. Tactics: Starc’s new-ball nectar (inswing to righties), short spells (4-5 overs), death demolition. Brisbane: Vulture End angle, gully guards—reaping Root/Pope.
Backroom brilliance: McDonald’s data deluge (Hawkeye tailoring), Coyle’s physio precision (20-over caps), Cook’s carb calculus sustaining 6’6″ stamina. Stokes’ mirror—aggression incarnate—faces asymmetry: Bazball bravura vs. Starc skid.
Series ledger: Adelaide’s 9-78 pink-wash prelude; Perth’s 4-45 ton trigger. McCullum: “Starc’s anti-Bazball—adapt or atrophy.”
Worldwide Waves: Accolades and Anecdotal Auras
Friday’s feat flooded feeds. Warne kin: “Mitch’s seam salutes Shane’s spin.” McGrath: “100’s entry; eternity awaits.” Lara: “Starc’s swing—subcontinental spellcraft.”
ICC’s Shah: “Aussie artistry amplified.” Healy: “Heart swells—husband, hero.” Stokes: “Elite enemy—Brisbane beckons.”
Press prism: The Age’s “Starc’s Stellar Surge”; The Telegraph’s “Lefty Legend Locked.” #Starc100: 3 million tweets, fan frescoes of Starc as Lillee heir.
Finale Foretold: Starc’s Sunset and Series Sequel
At 35, Starc savors 2027 swan song—post-urn urn. Blueprint: mentor Boland, helm 2026 T20 WC. Off-pitch: KKR crores, Healy harmonies, foundation flourishing.
Ashes arc: Gabba green favors Starc skid; 3-0 whitewash urn-secure; 2-1 history holds. England’s elixir: Anderson autumn, but Starc’s spring coils.
In Brisbane’s blaze, Starc’s 100th sentinel: wicket of will, whisper of wonder—Ashes alight, eternal.