Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc made an important announcement on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, which caught the attention of the cricket world. A few months before the T20 World Cup 2026, he decided to retire from the shortest international format. He took this decision so that he can focus more on Test and One Day International cricket and prolong his career.

The 35-year-old has always troubled the batsmen with his fast bowling and reverse swing. He played a total of 65 T20 International matches for Australia and took 79 wickets. His average was 23.81, and economy rate was 7.74, while the strike rate of 18.46 made him more special. Batsmen often dominate in this format, but Starc proved that it is possible to take wickets consistently.

Contribution to the World Cup victory

The golden moment of Starc's career is related to Australia's 2021 T20 World Cup victory. In that tournament, the left-arm pacer took nine wickets in seven matches and paved the way for the team's victory. His spell changed the direction of the match many times, and this is why he will be remembered as a big match-winner.

Starc made his debut in 2012 and made an impact right from the beginning. He was also a part of the team in the 2024 T20 World Cup, and his last T20 International match was played against India. If we look at the statistics, he is the highest wicket-taking fast bowler for Australia and is behind Adam Zampa overall.

Future preparation and focus on Test cricket

Mitchell Starc talked about the reasoning behind his decision that he wants the team to get enough time before the 2026 World Cup so that a new bowling attack can be prepared. He also added that he enjoyed playing every T20 match, especially the 2021 World Cup will always be close to his heart. Now his full focus is on Test cricket. He has big challenges ahead of him, like India's Test tour, the Ashes series and the 2027 ODI World Cup. Starc's decision may leave a void for T20I cricket, but his achievements will keep him remembered for a long time.