What makes Mitchell Starc the undisputed ‘Czar’ of Day-Night Tests

Mitchell Starc’s unreal 81 wickets in Day-Night Tests at an avg of 17 highlight why he remains the most feared pink-ball bowler in cricket.

Last time Mitchell Starc turned up with the pink ball in a day-night Test, he picked up three wickets in his opening over. That was during the third Jamaica Test in Australia’s Caribbean trip earlier this year.

There is something unfair about Starc running with a pink Kookaburra in his hands. He will be all the more dangerous this time out, given that he is coming off his sensational 10-wicket haul in Perth during the opening Ashes 2025/26 Test.

It’s nearly impossible to handle the left-arm pacer under the lights. The ball glows, the crowd buzzes, and the batter looks foolish in the middle of the Test theatre.

Moreover, Starc is set to return to the Gabba for an Ashes Test, the same place where he dispatched Rory Burns’ leg stump with the very first ball of the 2021-22 series. It was a dismissal that echoed all the way from Brisbane to Birmingham.

Mitchell Starc’s amazing record in day-night Tests
Mitchell Starc is the leading wicket-taker in the history of the day-night Tests, and that too by a massive margin. The lanky pacer has collected 81 wickets in 27 innings at an average of just over 17. His strike rate of 33.33 is stunning, complimented by his five 5-wicket hauls.

His pink-ball wicket tally is almost double that of the next two most successful bowlers, Australia’s Nathan Lyon and Pat Cummins. This reflects Starc’s pure skills in swinging the pink ball.

Read More: Starc’s ‘spell from hell’ sets the tone for Ashes 2025-26

Most wickets in day-nights Tests

When it comes to bowling in Australia, Starc has collected 74 wickets with the pink ball in 25 Test innings. The New South Wales pacer averages just a touch over 18 with a strike rate of just below 35.

Most wickets in day-night Tests in Australia

Since the beginning of 2023, Starc has further improved his D/N Test numbers. The 35-year-old has bagged 20 wickets in six innings during this period at an average of under 14 and a strike rate of 26. In the recent Jamaica Test against West Indies, he finished with shocking figures of 6/9 in 7.3 overs.

Read More: Australia have the best W/L ratio (2.543) in home Tests; Why visiting teams dread a tour down under?

Innings division in Mitchell Starc’s day-night Test wicket-tally

This is the reason behind Australia’s invincible dominance in the day-night Tests. Out of 14 matches, they have won 13 at a win-loss ratio of 13. The only encounter they lost was against West Indies at the Gabba earlier in 2024. In Australia’s day-night Test victories, Starc has picked up 76 wickets in 25 innings at 16.53.

Mitchell Starc’s unique skills with pink ball
For any batter, it becomes crucial to pick up the pink ball out of Mitchell Starc’s hand. He keeps the pink ball swinging for longer and finds more movement in the air in his following spells. He tends to keep the ball on the full length, which attracts swing. High pace at the right length and swing for longer is the perfect combination of attributes for Starc to be so successful in the day-night Tests.

Starc doesn’t seem to give any clue while running with the red ball. He meticulously places the ball in his fingertips at the end of his run-up. Once he does the same in the day-night Tests, it becomes harder to spot the black seam on a pink ball.

England’s former Test captain, Joe Root, remained optimistic about going through the challenge of Starc in pink-ball Tests. It’s worth mentioning that the left-arm pacer’s average with the pink ball at the Gabba is solid yet unspectacular, 29 for his 14 wickets across six innings.

“It’s understanding all of the different tools he might have, and then how are you going to counter that both in a positive manner and in allowing yourself to do it for a long period of time. Just being clear individually in how you want to go about scoring your runs and readying yourself as best you can is going to be the key.” Root expressed in Brisbane ahead of the second D/N Test in Ashes 2025/26.

The Gabba isn’t a happy hunting ground for England, with no Test victory since 1986. They have to find a way to tackle Starc’s pink ball heroics. If he recaptures the rhythm and confidence he showed in Perth, he could again be Australia’s match-winner. As of now, Starc must go to bed dreaming of bowling with a pink ball.

Read More: Ashes 2025-26: Could England afford to make changes for D-N Gabba Test?