In the second Test against Bangladesh at Mackay on August 22, 2026, Mitchell Starc had one of the best fast-bowling performances in recent Test history, taking six wickets for twelve runs from ten overs. The fourth-lowest total in Bangladesh’s Test history was achieved when Australia bowled them out for 64 runs in 34 overs.
With the haul, Mitchell Starc career total of Test wickets reached 440, surpassing Dale Steyn’s record of 439 and placing him squarely in tenth position among the greatest wicket-takers in Test cricket. Mitchell Starc had previously surpassed Rangana Herath’s record for the most wickets taken by a left-arm bowler in Test cricket earlier in this series, during the first Test in Darwin.
After winning the toss, Pat Cummins decided to field on a Mackay pitch that had a lot of speed and carry. Before a run was scored, Shadman Islam was caught at a gully by Mitchell Starc opening delivery of the game. By the end of the first session, Bangladesh was down to 35 for 6, with Mitchell Starc accounting for the majority of the damage. They never recovered from that initial blow.
His six victims included Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto, who was dismissed without scoring, and Tanzid Hasan, who had made 101 in Darwin during the first Test. In an innings that lasted only 34 overs, Shoriful Islam’s 14 runs were the biggest individual contribution.
In Test history, where does Mitchell Starc five-wicket burst stand?
In 22 deliveries, Mitchell Starc claimed his fifth wicket—the second-fastest five-wicket haul in Test cricket. He set his own record in 2025 with a 15-ball outburst against the West Indies. In Test cricket, very few bowlers have ever taken five wickets in 22 deliveries. In 1947, Ernie Toshack did it in 19 balls against India; in 2015, Stuart Broad did the same against Australia; and in 2021, Scott Boland did the same against England in 19 balls.
In a 2011 match against South Africa, Shane Watson hit the target in 21 balls. Starc’s 22-ball effort puts him in second place on that list, and he also holds the top spot.
Although it occurred after the 22-ball mark, the sixth wicket, which completed his statistics of 6 for 12, was a part of the same uninterrupted spell that left Bangladesh in ruins before lunch.
After Bangladesh’s first innings, how is the match going?
As of right now, Australia has reached 50 for 3 in 10 overs as they start to respond to Bangladesh’s 64. Despite the spectacular first-innings collapse, the match stayed open because to early wickets taken by Taskin Ahmed and Shoriful Islam, which gave Bangladesh a foothold in the game.
Australia’s position is strengthened by the series background. Bangladesh achieved their first Test victory on Australian soil as they won the first Test in Darwin by nine wickets. With Bangladesh’s second innings remaining, Australia has to win in Mackay to even the two-match series, and Mitchell Starc six-wicket haul has put them in a great position going into the match’s later stages.
