Mitchell Starc becomes first player in the world to unlock this historic feat after heroic 58 in WTC final
Mitchell Starc's heroic 58 helped Australia recover from a precarious situation on Day 3 of the WTC final against South Africa
Mitchell Starc delivered a memorable performance with the bat that frustrated South Africa on Day 3 of the WTC 2023-2025 final. Despite Australia finding themselves in a precarious position at 77/7, Starc's resilience and contribution helped them to surpass the 250-run mark, writing his name into the annals of cricket history.
Mitchell Starc's valuable contribution with the bat included scoring a half-century, remaining unbeaten at 58 runs. This effort by the defending champions allowed them to reach a total of 207 in their innings. Consequently, they set a challenging target of 282 runs for the Proteas to chase in the fourth innings of the World Test Championship final.
This innings saw Starc achieve a unique milestone in ICC tournament history. With his knock, he became the first player ever to score more than 40 runs in an innings while batting at the number nine position or lower. This record previously belonged to Courtney Browne of the West Indies, who achieved this feat during his memorable innings in the 2004 Champions Trophy final against England.
Most runs by the number 9 or below batter in an ICC Final:
| Player | Runs | Batting Position | Team | Opponent | Match | Venue |
| Mitchell Starc | 58 | 9 | Australia | South Africa | 2025 World Test Championship Final | Lord's |
| Courtney Browne | 35 | 9 | West Indies | England | 2004 Champions Trophy Final | Oval |
| Ian Bradshaw | 34 | 10 | West Indies | England | 2004 Champions Trophy final | Oval |
Moreover, Starc has now become only the second player in the history of ICC event finals to score a half-century while batting at the number eight position or lower. The only other player to achieve this feat was Shardul Thakur, who accomplished it for India against Australia in the 2023 World Test Championship final.
Starc and Josh Hazlewood also achieved a record for the highest tenth-wicket partnership in an ICC final. They surpassed the previous record held by Australian pace legends Dennis Lillee and Jeff Thomson from the 1975 World Cup. The stellar Australian duo forged a partnership of 59 runs, becoming the first last-wicket pair to achieve a 50-run stand in the final of a major global event. Lillee and Thomson had previously held the record with a 41-run partnership during Australia's loss to the West Indies at Lord's.
