Big Bash League: Starc plays in BBL after 11 years, picks one wicket in comeback game

Australian left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc marked his return to Big Bash League (BBL) after 11 years with a wicket for Sydney Sixers against Sydney Thunder in Sydney on Friday.

The 35-year-old Starc, who last played a BBL game in 2014, conceded 31 runs in his quota of four overs for the Sixers and dismissed Thunder opener Matthew Gilkes.

Starc bowled the second over of the match after Sixers won the toss and opted to field first and it turned out to be an expensive one. David Warner, Starc’s former teammate who eventually remained unbeaten on 110, smashed Starc for a six on his third delivery while Gilkes hit two fours off the last two balls.

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However, Starc soon bounced back and had Gilkes caught by skipper Moises Henriques at mid-off on the third ball of his second over. Also, the pacer did not concede any more boundaries during his spell.

Starc, a member of Australia’s T20 World Cup-winning squad in 2021, retired from T20Is in last September to focus on Tests and ODIs. Recently, he took 31 wickets in Australia’s 4-1 Ashes triumph at home against England and was named Player Of The Series.

Published on Jan 16, 2026