Stats that prove Mitchell Starc is back to his best at the 2019 World Cup

Mitchell Starc is bowling faster and with more seam movement than any bowler at this World Cup. And his toe-crushing yorkers threaten even India’s classy top order. See the numbers here.

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Mitchell Starc is combining express pace with seam movement in a return to form that once again has him as World Cup’s most devastating bowler.

Mitchell Starc took five wickets in a series of devastating spells against West Indies.

And Starc’s No. 1 weapon — his toe-crushing yorker — has emerged as a rare weakness for India’s elite top order, which is regarded as among the best in the history of ODI cricket.

Fastest bowlers to 150 ODI wickets

Player	Matches
MITCHELL STARC	77
Saqlain Mushtaq	78
Trent Boult	81
Brett Lee	82
Ajantha Mendis	84

Captain Aaron Finch’s Aussies will chase a 3-0 start against India in London on Sunday night, boasting a mental edge courtesy of their 10-match winning streak beginning with three victories against Virat Kohli’s men in March.

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Starc, along with Steve Smith and David Warner, did not play in that series in India, which Australia won 3-2.

Starc’s 17 yorkers are the most by any bowler at the World Cup and data has emerged showing that full deliveries are eight times more likely to dismiss Kohli when he is new to the crease.

Power-play (overs 1-10) seam movement 2019 World Cup

Player	Degrees of deviation
MITCHELL STARC	1.02
Lungi Ngidi	0.66
Mustafizur Rahman	0.62
Jasprit Bumrah	0.61
Suranga Lakmal	0.61
Jofra Archer	0.6
Hamid Hassan	0.6
Dawlat Zadran	0.59
Andre Russell	0.54
Kagiso Rabada	0.54

Kohli is almost unstoppable against short deliveries, particularly early in his innings.

Nathan Lyon has dubbed Starc ‘The Float’ (fastest left-arm of all time), after Starc became the fastest bowler in the game’s history to take 150 ODI wickets (77 matches), but that nickname serves as a double entendre.

Average bowling speed at 2019 World Cup

Player	Average speed
MITCHELL STARC	142 kmph
Lockie Ferguson	140.4 kmph
Hamid Hassan	137.9 kmph
Wahab Riaz	137.9 kmph
Jofra Archer	137.9 kmph
Kagiso Rabada	137.8 kmph
Mark Wood	137.7 kmph
Jasprit Bumrah	137.2 kmph
Oshane Thomas	137.1 kmph
Pat Cummins	136.1 kmph

Starc’s average pace of 142km also makes him the fastest bowler at the World Cup, while he is also extracting the most swing with the new ball.

Originally published as Stats that prove Mitchell Starc is back to his best at the 2019 World Cup