CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA — Mitchell Starc, an Australian fast bowler who played a big role in the team’s win at the 2021 T20 World Cup, has said he is retiring from T20 international cricket at the age of 35. The choice was made just a few months before the 2026 T20 World Cup, which India and Sri Lanka will co-host.
Starc said that he chose to leave the smallest international format for strategic reasons. He wants to keep playing for as long as possible and be “fresh, fit, and at my best” for the formats he cares about most: Test cricket and One Day Internationals (ODIs). The left-arm bowler said that his main focus is now on big events coming up, such the Ashes, the 2027 ODI World Cup, and an away Test series of India.
Starc said in a statement, “Test cricket is and has always been my top priority.” “I have loved every minute of every T20 game I have played for Australia, especially the 2021 World Cup. Not just because we won, but also because the group was so great and we had so much fun along the way.”
Starc has been a powerful player since his first T20I in September 2012. He is known for his raw speed and deadly yorkers. He is Australia’s best T20I fast bowler, having taken 79 wickets in 65 appearances. Adam Zampa, a spinner, has taken more wickets in this format for the country, with 130.
George Bailey, the chairman of selectors, lauded Starc’s huge role, calling him a “integral part of the 2021 World Cup-winning side” who had the “rare skill of breaking games open with his wicket-taking ability.” Bailey said that the squad is happy that Starc is still committed to the longer formats, even if they will commemorate his T20 history.
Cricket Australia announced Starc’s retirement when they named the team for the T20I series against New Zealand in October. The selectors will miss him a lot when they start the hard job of changing the bowling attack before the next T20 World Cup. Adding to the difficulty, all-rounder Cameron Green has been left out of the squad because he wants to focus on getting back to bowling in Sheffield Shield cricket. Fast bowler Nathan Ellis will also miss the series since he is on paternity leave. Matt Short and Marcus Stoinis will be back with the team.
The T20I team from Australia that played New Zealand had Mitchell Marsh as captain, Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Owen, Matthew Short, Marcus Stoinis, and Adam Zampa.