Cricket can have an extremely long memory and is usually unkind to fast bowlers in their mid-30s. Pacing slows down, the body breaks down, and the reputation quietly slips into nostalgia. Therefore, when Mitchell Starc wrote his own chapter with his late December 2025 performance, as opposed to just adding to Australia’s home Ashes win at 35 years old, this was seen as a small act of defiance against the inevitability of age and time.
Early Dominance, Immediate Psychological Damage
Starc had been building on his poor start to the Ashes in December with an opening series that was nothing short of dominant (he took 10 wickets in Perth and 8 in Brisbane) and he had set up the momentum for the rest of the Ashes series; historically Ashes series are won or lost in the first 2 tests when playing at home (the first test provides a psychological boost while the second sets up the momentum). Starc’s 18 wickets over the course of the first 2 tests gave England little time to think at the top of the order.
When Support Becomes Strategy, Not Decline
Numbers went down somewhat after Brisbane, with four wickets apiece for him in Adelaide and in Melbourne. On paper, it appeared that Starc had transitioned into a support role; however, this was simply an adjustment in strategy. As the entire Australian fast bowling unit was now being utilized by Pat Cummins, etc., Starc changed his role as a strike bowler to an architect who would create pressure on batsmen. He became the bowler who would deliver the tough overs, hold up one end, and force batting errors on the opposing side.
The Bat That Broke England’s Resistance
It was his batting that took him to being an indispensable member of this team instead of just an excellent one. The two fifties he scored, first in Brisbane then in Adelaide, were at exactly the right times for the English to make a run back into the game. Runs by lower-order players in the Ashes can never be seen as something to help your side have some extra runs; they are worth winning matches. These runs allowed Australia to grow the lead to the point where it became out of the opposition’s range both mentally and physically.
Fast bowlers who can contribute with the bat and do so effectively increase the potential for them to be match winners in test series and to become “series multipliers”. Examples of this include Ian Botham (1981), Andrew Flintoff (2005). The runs that these players scored went well beyond simply adding to the total number of runs made by their teams, and destroyed the confidence of the opposing teams. Starc’s batting in December was in this mould and changed the nature of close games to give Australia control.
Contextualizing the Award: Why Starc, Why Now
Starc didn’t get the ICC Men’s Player of the Month award just because he was the best player that month. His performance was better than both Justin Greaves (a first-ever double century for WI at Christchurch) and New Zealand’s Jacob Duffy (who took 25 wickets to lead NZ to a 2-0 clean sweep over Australia). Each had incredible months, but what separates them is the context of their performances.
He received the award for the first time. This is the first time he has been awarded this honor, after a two-year drought from an Australian winner (since Pat Cummins was awarded the Allan Border Medal in December of 2023). The length of time between winners can be significant. It indicates both an individual’s ability to perform at the highest level and a collective resurgence of Australian bowlers’ ability to deliver game-changing performances during Test cricket matches. He also indicated the future-focused nature of what he was trying to accomplish, specifically, building momentum heading into the next ICC World Test Championship Final.
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