Australia’s left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc has troubled former England skipper Joe Root in the first two Tests of the ongoing Ashes 2025-26 series.
The right-handed batter has fallen to the veteran fast bowler in all three of his dismissals 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 Day 3 (Saturday, December 6). However, the visiting team collapsed from 90/1 to 128/6 within 32.3 overs. Starc, Scott Boland, and Michael Neser have each claimed two wickets so far in the innings.
Mitchell Starc Removes Joe Root for the Third Time in Ashes 2025-26
Mitchell Starc removed Joe Root after Australia successfully reviewed a caught-behind appeal. Root tried to drive a full ball from around the wicket but got a faint outside edge as his bat hit the ground at the same time. Although the on-field call was not out, Carey and Smith were convinced and took a review.
UltraEdge showed a clear spike, confirming the edge and sending Root back for 15. The Australian players were fired up after picking up the biggest wicket in England’s lineup. Starc claimed his first scalp of the innings, giving Australia a key breakthrough at an important moment.
Mitchell Starc Dismisses 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 deliveries from Starc, scoring 378 runs and falling to him 11 times at an average of 34.36.
Starc is one of the three bowlers who have dismissed Root the most in Tests, alongside Pat Cummins and Jasprit Bumrah. Cummins, Bumrah, and Starc share the top spot with 11 dismissals of Root. Hazlewood and Jadeja follow next, with Lyon, Ashwin, and Boult also troubling him regularly.
Across formats, Bumrah has dismissed the former England captain 15 times, followed by Ravindra Jadeja, Cummins, and Starc with 14 each. Hazlewood, Boult, and others also feature in the list.
Bowlers to Dismiss Joe Root the Most Times in Tests:
| Bowler | Country | Dismissals |
|---|---|---|
| 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 Boult | New Zealand | 7 |
Mitchell Starc Has Got His Tail Up – Glenn McGrath
Former Australian cricketer Glenn McGrath stated that the conditions were difficult, with the ball moving off the pitch. He said Mitchell Starc was bowling with real intensity at around 145 kph. McGrath also mentioned that England looked flat earlier in the day.
“In these conditions it is nipping around off the pitch and it is hard work. Mitchell Starc has got his tail up – 145kph (90mph),” McGrath stated, as quoted by BBC Test Match Special.
“Cricket at this level is about body language. Look at England’s body language in the earlier parts of today. Even when things aren’t going your way you have got to be up and you have got to be ready for it,” he added.