Australia’s left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc has troubled former England captain Joe Root in the first two Tests of the ongoing Ashes 2025-26 series. The right-handed batsman has fallen victim to the experienced fast bowler in all three of his outings so far in the series and scored an unbeaten century in the first innings in Brisbane.
England made a steady start in their second innings, with Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett adding 45 runs before dinner on the third day (Saturday, 6 December). However, the visitors collapsed from 90/1 to 128/6 in 32.3 overs. Starc, Scott Boland and Michael Neser have taken two wickets each in the innings so far.
Mitchell Starc dismisses Joe Root for the third time in Ashes 2025-26
Mitchell Starc removed Joe Root after Australia successfully reviewed a catch-back appeal. Root tried to drive a full ball around the wicket, but at the same time his bat hit the ground, hitting his outside edge. Although the on-field call was not out, Carey and Smith were confident and took the review.
UltraEdge showed a clear spike, confirmed the lead and sent Root back for 15. The Australian players were excited after taking the biggest wicket in the England line-up. Starc took the first wicket of the innings and gave Australia a crucial breakthrough at a crucial juncture.
Mitchell Starc dismissed Joe Root for the 11th time in Test cricket.
Mitchell Starc has become one of Joe Root’s biggest challengers in Test cricket. Root has faced 694 balls from Starc, scoring 378 runs and becoming his victim 11 times at an average of 34.36.
Starc is one of the three bowlers who have dismissed Root the most in Tests, along with Pat Cummins and Jasprit Bumrah. Cummins, Bumrah and Starc jointly top the list with Root being dismissed 11 times. Hazlewood and Jadeja follow, with Lyon, Ashwin and Boult also troubling them regularly.
Across all formats, Bumrah has dismissed the former England captain 15 times, followed by Ravindra Jadeja, Cummins and Starc 14 times each. Hazlewood, Boult and others also feature in the list.
Bowlers who have dismissed Joe Root most times in Tests:
| bowler | Country | Hunt |
|---|---|---|
| pat cummins | Australia | 11 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | India | 11 |
| Mitchell Starc | Australia | 11 |
| Josh Hazlewood | Australia | 10 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | India | 9 |
| nathan lyon | Australia | 8 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | India | 7 |
| trent bolt | new zealand | 7 |
Mitchell Starc has worked his tail up – Glenn McGrath
Former Australian cricketer Glenn McGrath said that the conditions were difficult, with the ball going away from the pitch. He said Mitchell Starc was bowling with real intensity at around 145 kilometers per hour. McGrath also mentioned that England looked flat on the first day.
“It’s difficult to move around the pitch in these conditions and it’s hard work. Mitchell Starc has got his tail up to 145 km/h (90 mph),” McGrath was quoted as saying by BBC Test Match Special.
“Cricket at this level is all about body language. Look at England’s body language in the early parts today. Even when things are not going your way you have to get up and you have to be ready for it,” he said.
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