5-wicket haul in just 15 deliveries! Mitchell Starc becomes first bowler in 148-year Test history to achieve this feat

Australia's left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc showed that he is a magician with the pink ball. With the new ball, Starc shred West Indies batting order to pieces. It took him just 15 balls to bag a five-wicket haul, the fastest in the history of men's Test cricket. He took six wickets for just nine runs to bowl out West Indies for 27, the second-lowest innings total in Test cricket. 

The previous record for fastest five-wicket haul belonged to Australia's Ernie Toshack, England's Scott Boland and Starc's current teammate Scott Boland. The three bowlers had achieved the feat from 19 balls. 

Starc completed 400 Test wickets enroute the record-breaking six-fer as well. He became the fourth Australian to take 400 Test wickets or more. The top spot belongs to Shane Warne (708 wickets), followed by Glenn McGrath (563 wickets) and Nathan Lyon (562 wickets).

Starc surpasses Cummins

Starc's six wickets for 9 runs is the best bowling figures by an Australian in pink-ball Tests. The previous record belonged to Australia captain Pat Cummins. He took six wickets for 23 runs against Sri Lanka at The Gabba, Brisbane in 2019. Starc's bowling figures are third-best in pink-ball Tests. 

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The top spot belongs to West Indies' Devendra Bishoo with eight wickets for 49 runs against Pakistan in 2016 in Dubai. The second spot is occupied by West Indies pacer Shamar Joseph. He took seven wickets for 68 runs against Australia at The Gabba, Brisbane last year.

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Starc second on another list 

Starc's bowling figures are best for an Australian bowler in West Indies. The top spot belongs to off-spinner Ian Johnson who took seven wickets for 44 runs in Georgetown in April 1955. However, it is the best by an Australian pacer on Caribbean soil in the longest format.

Starc's new ball spell 

Starc started with a bang, defending a target of 204. With the first ball, he took it away from John Campbell just enough to get an outside edge. On the fifth ball, he pitched it up and angled it in. Kevlon Anderson had no answer to it and got out lbw. On the last ball of the first over, he knocked over Brandon King with a booming inswinger.

In his fifth over, Starc struck twice. First, he bowler a full inswinger to dismiss Mikyle Louis lbw. Then, he completed the five-wicket haul by getting Shai Hope out lbw. He would have dismissed Alzarri Joseph but Sam Konstas dropped half a chance at third slip. After the first session and Scott Boland's hat-trick, he clearned up Jayden Seales to wrap up the innings and help Australia win by 176 runs.