Mitchell Starc’s love affair with the pink ball is no secret — and the numbers behind it are staggering.
Ahead of the second Ashes Test in Brisbane, Starc had already established himself as the greatest pink-ball bowler in Test cricket, with:
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81 wickets in 14 day-night Tests
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Five 5-wicket hauls
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A dramatic improvement in numbers compared to red-ball cricket
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Pink ball: Avg 17.08, Strike rate 33.3
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Red ball: Avg 28.97, Strike rate 49.9
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And now, he has started the Gabba Test exactly how England feared — with two wickets inside the first three overs, removing Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope to leave England stunned at 5/2.
Starc’s tally of five 5-wicket hauls in pink-ball Tests remains unmatched, and with the way he has begun in Brisbane, a sixth is already looking well within reach.
His dominance under lights continues to be Australia’s biggest weapon — and England’s biggest problem — at a venue they haven’t conquered since 1986.
