Australia’s Mitchell Starc (AP/PTI)
The left-arm pacer returned figures of 6/72 as South Africa collapsed from 203/1 to 329 all out after appearing firmly in control of the contest. His latest haul also took his tally of five-wicket hauls in international cricket to 29, placing him alongside Dale Steyn among the most prolific fast bowlers in the format. Starc now has 20 five-wicket hauls in Tests and nine in ODIs. He has moved to the top of the list of active fast bowlers with the most five-wicket hauls in Test cricket, ahead of Kagiso Rabada , who has 17, and Jasprit Bumrah , who has 16. In the all-time list of fast bowlers with the most five-wicket hauls in international cricket, Starc sits sixth, behind Richard Hadlee (41), Glenn McGrath (36), Waqar Younis (35), James Anderson (34) and Wasim Akram (31). He dismissed Rickelton for 42 before bowling Jansen for 52. His figures of 6/72 were also his best against South Africa in Test cricket, improving on his previous best of 6/154 in Perth in 2012.
Starc then claimed Gerald Coetzee and Kagiso Rabada for consecutive golden ducks, completing a stunning turnaround as South Africa lost four wickets in six balls. Mitchell Starc produced a devastating spell to claim his 20th five-wicket haul in Test cricket, helping Australia stage a remarkable comeback against South Africa on the opening day of the deciding third Test at Newlands on Tuesday.
South Africa had looked set for a commanding first-innings total after openers Aiden Markram and Marques Ackerman added 140 runs. Ackerman made 95 off 94 balls, while Markram scored 78 as the hosts reached 203/1. Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines However, Starc triggered a dramatic collapse, removing David Bedingham for 50 and Wiaan Mulder for a duck in quick succession. After South Africa recovered through a 95-run seventh-wicket partnership between Marco Jansen and Ryan Rickelton, Starc returned with the second new ball to dismantle the tail. The series remains level at 1-1, with the third Test set to determine the winner. Rank Player Five-wicket hauls Innings 1 Mitchell Starc 20 210 2 Kagiso Rabada 17 136 3 Jasprit Bumrah 16 99 4 Josh Hazlewood 15 151 5 Pat Cummins 14 141 6 Kemar Roach 11 156 Get the latest Sports News and Live updates.
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Rank Player Test ODI Total 1 Richard Hadlee 36 5 41 2 Glenn McGrath 29 7 36 3 Waqar Younis 22 13 35 4 James Anderson 32 2 34 5 Wasim Akram 25 6 31 6 Mitchell Starc 20 9 29 6 Dale Steyn 26 3 29 8 Ian Botham 27 0 27 9 Curtly Ambrose 22 4 26