Mitchell Starc’s top 3 bowling spells in T20I cricket: One of the most dangerous left-arm pacers in modern cricket, Australian pacer Mitchell Starc recently announced his retirement from T20Is.
In his 65-match career, the New South Wales pacer has taken 79 wickets, making him Australia‘s second-highest wicket-taker in the format after leg-spinner Adam Zampa.
He is known for his volleying yorkers, and remains a constant threat to batsmen around the world. He decided to retire from T20Is to focus on Tests and ODIs, where his performances have been equally impressive. With him bidding adieu to T20Is, CricTracker takes a look at his three best spells in the shortest format of the game in the Australian jersey.
Mitchell Starc’s top 3 bowling spells in T20 Internationals
3. 4/20 vs West Indies, 2022, Brisbane
Almost a decade later, Starc brought his experience to the fore with his career-best T20 International performance against West Indies in Brisbane. Defending 178, he opened the attack by dismissing Kyle Mayers caught-and-bowled. Soon after, he dismissed Caribbean captain and aggressive batsman Nicholas Pooran and then all-rounder Jason Holder.
In the last over of the match, he dismissed Odean Smith to finish with figures of 4 for 20. His performance sealed the series for Australia and also proved why he remained such a dangerous bowler till the end of his T20 career.
2. 3/11 vs Pakistan, 2012, Dubai
Earlier in the same year in Dubai, Starc produced another stellar performance on Australia’s tour of the UAE where they played a multi-format series against Pakistan. Chasing a target of 169, Pakistan crumbled for just 74. Starc dismissed Imran Nazir cheaply in the very first over.
In his next spell, he broke the back of the hosts’ batting by dismissing Kamran Akmal for a duck. Finishing off his effort, he uprooted the stumps of Saeed Ajmal and picked up 3 wickets for 11 runs. His early wickets laid the foundation for Australia’s stunning 94-run win.
1. 3/20 vs Pakistan, T20 World Cup 2012, Colombo
One of Starc’s finest performances came against Pakistan in the 2012 T20 World Cup. Although Australia failed to chase the target, the pacer started off impressively during the Men in Green’s innings. Starc tilted the balance in his side’s favour right from the start by dismissing Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez off the very first ball of his spell.
He later returned to dismiss Kamran Akmal, who looked well settled at the crease, and got another breakthrough. In the last over of the innings, he dismissed Shahid Afridi with a quick delivery to finish with 3 for 20. Despite Australia losing the match by 32 runs, Starc’s aggressive spell remained one of the highlights of the tournament.
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