Top 3 bowling spells of Mitchell Starc in T20I cricket

Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc, one of the most feared left-arm pacers of modern cricket, recently announced his retirement from T20 Internationals. In a career spanning 65 matches, the New South Wales pacer bagged 79 wickets, making him Australia’s second-highest wicket-taker in the format behind leg-spinner Adam Zampa thus far.

He is known for his express pace and lethal yorkers, and was a constant threat to batters worldwide. He decided to hang up his boots in the shortest format to focus on Tests and ODIs, where he has been equally impactful. As he bids goodbye to T20Is, CricTracker revisits three of his finest spells in the shortest format of the game in the Australian jersey.

Top 3 bowling spells of Mitchell Starc in T20Is

3/20 vs Pakistan, T20 World Cup 2012, Colombo

One of Starc’s early standout performances came in the 2012 T20 World Cup against Pakistan. Even though Australia failed to chase the target, the spearhead made inroads during the Men in Green's innings effectively. Starc struck immediately with the first ball of his spell, dismissing Pakistan skipper Mohammad Hafeez to get the moment in his team's favour right from the word 'go'.

He returned later to remove Kamran Akmal, who looked well-settled at the crease to hand yet another breakthrough. In the final over of the innings, he bowled Shahid Afridi over with a searing delivery to finish with 3/20. Despite Australia losing the match by 32 runs, Starc’s fiery spell remained one of the highlights of the tournament.