Australian pacer Mitchell Starc has stormed into the top three of the ICC Test bowling rankings following his stellar performances in the Ashes. The left-arm speedster has risen three spots to a career-best No. 3 after his match-winning displays in Perth and Brisbane, edging closer to Jasprit Bumrah’s No. 1 Test ranking.
Bumrah has held the top spot since November 2024, following India’s win in the Perth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, where he took eight wickets, including a five-wicket haul. Starc, however, could challenge him when the Ashes concludes next year with the New Year’s Test, starting January 4 at the iconic Sydney Cricket Ground.
Starc, with 852 rating points, is just 27 points behind Bumrah, who has 879 points. He began the Ashes in fine form, taking 10 wickets, including a seven-wicket haul in the first innings, and earning the Player of the Match award as Australia secured an eight-wicket victory. This performance propelled him to No. 5 in the rankings.
He carried his momentum into the Day-Night Test at the Gabba in Brisbane, once again claiming the Player of the Match award. Starc took eight wickets with the pink ball, including a six-wicket haul in the first innings. This achievement made him only the fifth player to win back-to-back Player-of-the-Match awards, after Ian Botham (1981), Ricky Ponting (2006–07), Mitchell Johnson (2013–14), and Ben Stokes (2019).
Across the two Tests so far in the Ashes, he has taken 18 wickets at an economy rate of 4.01. With three Tests remaining in Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney, Starc has positioned himself strongly to potentially overtake Bumrah at the top of the rankings.
