Follow UsEven before the start of the ongoing World Test Championship (WTC) Final against South Africa at Lord’s, Mitchell Starc had a solid argument for being the greatest No.9 batter in Test history, having amassed more 50+ scores in that position than any other player in history.
It’s fair to say now that Starc can proudly go around claiming that he’s the best No.9 batter ever, on the back of his heroics in the WTC Final. Australia were in absolute shambles late on day two when Starc walked in to bat, teetering at 73/7, with the lead reading a mere 147. The ball was doing all sorts, and the end seemed near for the Kangaroos.
From that position of no hope, the left-hander almost single-handedly dragged the side to a position of strength, smashing his 11th Test fifty as Australia racked up a lead of 281.
Starc added 59 runs for the 10th wicket with Josh Hazlewood, masterfully playing the situation by shielding the No.11. He frustrated the South Africans by defending the good balls but made sure to take any opportunity that was offered to him. He eventually finished unbeaten on 58, becoming the only half-centurion for the Aussies in the second innings.
An outrageous stat has now emerged in the wake of Starc’s heroics in the WTC Final.
In the last year in Tests, since June 2024, Starc has a balls per dismissal of 49.2. Essentially, he’s been dismissed only once every 49.2 balls on average. That’s better than Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma, Babar Azam and several other frontline batters during the same period.
49.2 - Mitchell Starc
48.8 - Babar Azam
46.8 - Ben Stokes
40.2 - Virat Kohli
19.1 - Rohit Sharma
Starc averages 20.33 during this period, which is nearly twice as much as the now-retired Rohit (10.93) and almost equal to Kohli (22.47), who is also retired.