Mitchell Starc has strengthened his case to be crowned Player of the Ashes series, edging ahead of teammate Travis Head after a match-defining performance on the final day of the fifth Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground.
The Australian fast bowler wrapped up England’s innings on Thursday, claiming the final two wickets to dismiss the visitors for 342 and leave Australia needing just 160 runs to seal a commanding 4–1 series victory.
Starc produced a moment of magic to end Jacob Bethell’s magnificent knock of 154, drawing an edge with a superb delivery that was safely taken by wicketkeeper Alex Carey. Bethell departed to a standing ovation after registering his maiden Test century. England tailender Josh Tongue briefly threatened with a boundary, but Starc struck again soon after, inducing a miscued shot that Marnus Labuschagne comfortably caught at short cover.
Mitchell Starc’s historic Ashes leaves selectors with a tough call
That wicket was Starc’s 31st of a remarkable Ashes campaign, placing an emphatic stamp on a series he dominated with the ball and contributed meaningfully with the bat. He finished the series with 31 wickets at an average of 19.93, including two five-wicket hauls and his first-ever 10-wicket match performance, achieved in Perth. Playing all five Tests, Starc led Australia’s attack expertly in the absence of Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood.
The left-arm quick became the first bowler to claim more than 30 wickets in an Ashes series since Mitchell Johnson’s iconic 2013–14 effort. He also added valuable runs down the order, scoring 156 runs across the series. Unsurprisingly, his performances have sparked widespread calls for him to be named Player of the Series.
However, Travis Head has mounted a formidable challenge of his own. The aggressive batter continued his sensational summer with a sublime first-innings 163 at the SCG, his third century of the series. Head had earlier lit up the contest with a blistering 69-ball hundred in Perth and followed it with another ton in the Boxing Day Test.
His run-scoring spree saw him become the first player since Steve Smith in 2019 to cross the 600-run mark in an Ashes series. He also made history by becoming the first player to score more than 500 runs in a Test series at a strike rate above 85, before adding 29 in the second innings at Sydney.
With Starc’s historic bowling feats and Head’s explosive batting dominance, the Player of the Series decision now looms as a genuine dilemma for the selection panel, which includes chief selectors from both nations.
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