Golden oldie: Starc claims his place in history as the 35-year-old champion speedster

Sixteen wickets in the first three innings effectively won the series for Australia, in the absence of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood no less.

Back-to-back man-of-the-match performances in Perth and Brisbane (where he changed the game with bat and ball) provided the undoubted highlights of perhaps the best campaign of Starc’s career.

Overall, his 55 wickets in 2025 were the best in Test history (minimum 50 wickets in a calendar year).

As stated by Cricinfo in its annual reporta wicket every 28.36 balls in 11 Tests in 2025 was the best ever, surpassing Waqar Younis’ 1993 annus mirabilis (29.5) and Jasprit Bumrah’s 2024 blitz (30.1).

Starc played every Test available to him last year. No surprise when you consider he has only missed four of the 53 Australia have played in the last five years.

Rarely has fast bowling seen such a combination of stamina and pace. Cricinfo again noted that Starc’s madness since turning 35 last January has put him in thin air.

Only three bowlers – Courtney Walsh, Sydney Barnes and Glenn McGrath – have taken more wickets in a year aged 35 and over. All champions.

But by that age, Walsh and McGrath were at least 10km/h slower than Starc’s cruising speed of over 140km/h. Barnes was again significantly slower.

Still, Starc’s late-career adoption of the wobbly seam made him a more accurate and particularly dangerous customer.

The swing with the new ball, or the lack of it, used to determine his luck until the reverse swing could be found. Now the former is a real strike weapon – they miss less often for more impact.

It’s Starc’s wrist snap — a favorite from Fox Sports’ new “Fox Bio” toy — that generates his pace relatively efficiently, allowing him to sustain it where someone like Jofra Archer might falter during the day.

With 31 wickets, a Compton-Miller Medal on Thursday and his 36th birthday approaching, Starc has seen himself sacrifice T20 internationals to keep fit and extend his Test career.

Apart from golf, a BBL appearance or two and embracing wife Alyssa Healy’s own upcoming international summer, “I don’t have too many plans,” he said.

Of course, there’s the 2027 Ashes tour and five Tests against India beforehand, but Starc won’t be issuing a statement of intent that far ahead.

However, he had something to say in the form of his life, because “there is so much [this Australian XI’s] age profile’.

“I think in this series that experience has been a really good thing at times,” Starc said.

“I think we’ve seen guys prove that if you’re still playing your role or if you’re still good enough, it shouldn’t matter how old you are … we’ve seen the results of this series.