Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc etched his name in the record books on Day 1 (Friday, November 21) of the first Ashes 2025-26 Test against England. Starc became the first left-arm pacer to complete 100 wickets in Ashes history after dismissing former England skipper Joe Root for a duck in the morning session.
Ben Stokes won the toss in Perth and opted to bat. England picked an all-out pace attack in their XI by leaving out off-spinner Shoaib Bashir. Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Gus Atkinson, and Mark Wood formed the fast-bowling unit. Meanwhile, Australia handed debuts to Brendan Doggett and Jake Weatherald.
Mitchell Starc Removes Joe Root For A Duck In Ashes 2025-26 Opener
Joe Root walked in early after Ben Duckett’s dismissal in the seventh over. Mitchell Starc had already set the tone by removing Zak Crawley in the opening over. England briefly steadied itself with some counter-attacking strokes.
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Root, who has struggled in Australian conditions before the series, looked uneasy from the start. He almost edged his second ball and continued to battle for control as Starc kept testing him with movement off the surface.
Starc delivered a ball that straightened from a leg-stump line, and Root attempted to glance it away but only managed to expose the outside edge. The catch flew straight to Marnus Labuschagne at third slip, and Root had to walk back to the dressing room without scoring.
Mitchell Starc has claimed his 100th wicket against England! #MilestoneMoment | #Ashes | @nrmainsurance pic.twitter.com/vItwfdCK3X
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 21, 2025
Mitchell Starc Becomes the First Left-Arm Fast Bowler to Take 100 Wickets in the Ashes
Mitchell Starc became the 21st bowler and the first left-arm fast bowler to take 100 wickets in the Ashes. His strike rate of 44.8 is the best among all bowlers who have crossed the 100-wicket mark.
Among left-arm fast bowlers, Mitchell Johnson is next on the list with 87 wickets. Starc has taken 100 wickets in 23 Tests against England at an average in the mid-20s, including four five-wicket hauls and a best of 6/111.
STARC BRINGS UP HIS 💯
What a way for Australia’s veteran left-armer to bring up the magic milestone — nicking off arguably England’s greatest-ever bat in Joe Root.
Nathan Lyon (110) is the only other active player to have taken more #Ashes wickets 🔥 pic.twitter.com/LXBVhhn60S
— Fox Cricket (@FoxCricket) November 21, 2025
In Australia, the 35-year-old has picked up more than 43 wickets in 10 Ashes matches at an excellent average, including a five-wicket haul. He has added 56 more wickets from 13 matches in England, including three five-wicket hauls.
Starc has taken 405 wickets from 101 matches at an average of over 27, including 16 five-wicket hauls and 20 four-wicket returns. With the bat, he has scored more than 2,300 runs with 11 fifties to his name.
Full List of Bowlers with 100-Plus Ashes Wickets:
| Rank | Bowler | Wickets |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Shane Warne (Australia) | 195 |
| 2 | Glenn McGrath (Australia) | 157 |
| 3 | Stuart Broad (England) | 153 |
| 4 | Hugh Trumble (Australia) | 141 |
| 5 | Dennis Lillee (Australia) | 128 |
| 6 | Ian Botham (England) | 128 |
| 7 | Bob Willis (England) | 123 |
| 8 | James Anderson (England) | 117 |
| 9 | Monty Noble (Australia) | 115 |
| 10 | Ray Lindwall (Australia) | 114 |
| 11 | Nathan Lyon (Australia) | 110 |
| 12 | Wilfred Rhodes (England) | 109 |
| 13 | Sydney Barnes (England) | 106 |
| 14 | Clarrie Grimmett (Australia) | 106 |
| 15 | Alec Bedser (England) | 104 |
| 16 | Bill O’Reilly (Australia) | 102 |
| 17 | George Giffen (Australia) | 101 |
| 18 | Charlie Turner (Australia) | 101 |
| 19 | Bobby Peel (England) | 101 |
| 20 | Terry Alderman (Australia) | 100 |
| 21 | Mitchell Starc (Australia) | 100+ |
