Mitchell Starc’s Ashes masterclass against England at Perth Stadium proves his pace bowling greatness, but Ben Stokes and his men have the last laugh

That’s not Captain Fantastic, that’s Pat Cummins. That’s not the “Bmdemeer bullet”, that’s Josh Hazlewood. He’s not Glenn McGrath, Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thomson, Jason Gillespie or even Bruce Reid, another left-armer whose injuries have made him one of Australian cricket’s great maybes.

With his astonishing career-high figures on the first day of this series, Starc made sure he would never be questioned again about where he stands in the bowling pantheon. This was the performance of a lead actor taking charge of a series with the stance of a Lillee, McGrath or Cummins.

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Starc is understated when he speaks. He occasionally offers sharp views, such as the one he offered the other day on the players’ choice of Brisbane as their first Ashes venue, but generally enjoys a low profile.

With two days left until the start of the Ashes, Starc looked and sounded completely confident in the task ahead. It was almost frustrating, given the drama that had accompanied Australia’s pace attack in the weeks leading up to the first ball.

Cummins, of course, had been out of the Perth Test calculations for weeks due to a back ailment.

When Hazlewood suffered a hamstring strain in his only Sheffield Shield match up front, New South Wales and Australian captain Steve Smith summarily banned Starc from bowling any further.

It would be an unfamiliar new-ball role for debutants Brendan Doggett and Scott Boland in the Test bowling attack.

But despite all this, Starc had the demeanor of a fast bowler who knew his skills would be more than enough to trouble fast-scoring England. From where?

Still competing in top form at the age of 35, Starc’s physical stamina has allowed him to have a career long enough to improve his skills tremendously. Always fast, tall and with a natural left arm angle, Starc has made remarkable progress in accuracy, craftsmanship and self-belief. In the 2023 Ashes series, Brendon McCullum rated Starc as Australia’s player of the series despite only playing four matches.

As Cummins said, “Starcy showed the few times that when he was dropped or handled, he always came back a better player.”

To his enduring credit, Starc has always valued Test cricket above all else. Perhaps this was because he rarely played more than a few Test matches in a row in his early years and waited many years to start at the MCG on Boxing Day.

Starc has only occasionally put his hand to the Indian Premier League; the wider international program has always done so when appropriate. And his recent retirement from T20 internationals was specifically aimed at extending Test match days.

That’s good too, considering how he bowled at Optus Stadium on Friday. England’s top order has been studied with the meticulousness of a superior technician working on detailed plans.

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Despite avoiding Rory Burns’ first-ball fate four years ago, Zak Crawley was deftly drawn to drive down the line, but not by a ball’s length that converged away from him, offering to catch the slip cordon of the sixth ball of the series.

Ben Duckett, who looked aggressive against Boland, was beaten for pace and length and was tucked in front of middle and leg stumps: it wasn’t the first time Starc found a path to the diminutive left-hander’s pads.

Joe Root, trying to end Australia’s drought of hundreds, remained scoreless for six balls before colliding with another ball and deflecting an edge into the cordon. Starc celebrated each of these wickets with gusto, finally unleashing the pent-up emotion he had learned to channel.

Starc took his cap from the umpire after an opening spell of 3-17 in six overs, figures that were as telling as they were magnificent. Starc was still regarded as a big-ball bowler when he stunned Burns with a ball that swung around his pad. He is now undeniably a great bowler.

After lunch, England’s best hope for an uprising lay with Harry Brook and Ben Stokes. But Starc always troubled Stokes, straining his defense and often failing. He did it again here with a nasty pinch-hitter that blew the door open on an ambitious drive.

While Boland struggled, Doggett’s first day provided Starc with valuable support with a hostile afternoon spell that showcased his ability to clumsily dispatch skittish bouncers. He left Brook and Brydon Carse behind to help Starc quickly destroy the England tail: a skid of 5-12 ensured the first innings of the series was over inside 33 overs.

With 409 Test wickets at an average of 26.70 and a strike rate of 46.87, he is now just five wickets shy of Wasim Akram’s mark as the fastest left-arm pacer in Test history.

Starc returned to his succinct pose from a few days ago, accepting the crowd’s praise for his achievements. Starc will not be underestimated as long as he continues to play Test cricket. He will never be underestimated again.

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