Australia's Mitchell Starc has delighted in grinding down England's hopes of winning the Ashes, taking 6-75 in their innings and adding to his match figures of 10-113 in the first Test. The Australian pacer arrived at the crease on day two with Australia leading by 49, but after taking the game away from England, the tourists were staring firmly down the barrel of defeat.
Starc's arrival marked a turning point for the match, and he took his time to settle into a rhythm, playing shorter lengths on merit and punishing the fuller ball. He scored 77 off 141 balls, with a strike rate that touched 200 - significantly higher than his career average against England.
The Australian bowler's spell was instrumental in putting pressure on England, who were struggling to respond to the visitors' strong attack. Starc's figures of 6-75 in this innings take him as one of Australia's top wicket-takers against England, and only the fifth player to make a five-for in the first innings and score a half-century in the second since 1963.
Starc became only the second Australian after Mitchell Johnson to do so - and like Johnson, he is giving off vibes that suggest his bowling and batting have reached an elite level. Starc's spell has made him one of England's biggest worries in this series, with former captain Alastair Cook saying: "Mitchell Starc destroyed England's top order with the ball and now he is breaking their hearts with the bat."
The Australian pacer will be looking to continue his good form as Australia takes on England again in the second Test at Adelaide.
Starc's arrival marked a turning point for the match, and he took his time to settle into a rhythm, playing shorter lengths on merit and punishing the fuller ball. He scored 77 off 141 balls, with a strike rate that touched 200 - significantly higher than his career average against England.
The Australian bowler's spell was instrumental in putting pressure on England, who were struggling to respond to the visitors' strong attack. Starc's figures of 6-75 in this innings take him as one of Australia's top wicket-takers against England, and only the fifth player to make a five-for in the first innings and score a half-century in the second since 1963.
Starc became only the second Australian after Mitchell Johnson to do so - and like Johnson, he is giving off vibes that suggest his bowling and batting have reached an elite level. Starc's spell has made him one of England's biggest worries in this series, with former captain Alastair Cook saying: "Mitchell Starc destroyed England's top order with the ball and now he is breaking their hearts with the bat."
The Australian pacer will be looking to continue his good form as Australia takes on England again in the second Test at Adelaide.
! Starc's performance was insane, and I mean that literally, 200 strike rate is like, whoa? 
He totally outplayed England's batsmen and bowlers, and now they're in a tough spot. It's like he's unstoppable with the bat too, which is even more impressive considering his skills as a bowler 
. I think Starc might just be on track to become one of Australia's all-time greats - fingers crossed for him! 
It shows how far he's come as a player. I think this series is really turning in Australia's favor now... they're putting so much pressure on England to respond and it's getting harder for them. 
The way Starc is performing, he's like one of the top players in the world right now. Fingers crossed he keeps it up in the next Test! 
. and honestly, england's all over the place right now, they can't even get their batting together... 49 down in the first innin? that's just embarrassing 
. starc's form is solid, no doubt about it, but let's not forget he's still a bowler at heart 
. don't expect him to start chipping away at his runs anytime soon, lol.
i mean, who would've thought he'd break down england's hopes like that? 
and scoring 77 off 141 balls is just crazy - his strike rate is through the roof! 
he's literally taking it to the english team in this match. alastair cook's comments are spot on tho - starc's got that elite level stuff going on. can't wait for the next test at adelaide, gonna be intense! 
! mitchell starc is a beast on the field, he's got those aussie skills for days and days 
. taking 6-75 was no joke, england's gonna have to bring their A-game if they wanna take down australia 
not me, that's for sure! anyway, bring on the next test at adelaide, can't wait to see what starc has up his sleeve 
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. The way he settled into a rhythm and started playing those shorter lengths was really clever - it's not an easy thing to do, especially when you're trying to put pressure on a team that's already struggling.
. His strike rate against England is through the roof and it's not just about taking wickets, it's about being a dominant force in the match.
. He's got that 'X' factor now, you know? The ability to turn games around with his bowling and then follow it up with some incredible batting is just pure genius 
️!
. And that quote from Alastair Cook? Spot on! Starc is indeed one of England's biggest worries in this series 
, taking down England's hopes one ball at a time. His batting form is on point too, with that strike rate of 200 - he's got the skills to match his skills as a bowler. I'm really rooting for him to keep this up and help Australia take the series. It'll be interesting to see how the English batsmen respond in the second Test 
. i mean, who needs a five-star performance when you can just crush it like starc is doing? 
- bring on the next match!