3 min readDec 22, 2025 09:09 PM IST
First published on: Dec 22, 2025 at 09:02 PM IST
Australia’s Mitchell Starc said that while he still isn’t thinking about the 2027 Ashes series in England just yet, it’ll be nice to win a Test series in England. Australia haven’t outright won a series in England in recent times with the last two Ashes series in England ending in draws, allowing Australia to retain the urn after winning it from England in 2017-18.
While Australia have retained the urn once again in the ongoing series with 2 matches remaining, already going 3-0 up, they will want to win a series in England. Starc, who has taken 22 wickets in the 3 matches of the 2025-26 series, will be 37 by the time the next Ashes series rolls around in 2027.
“That’s part of why I’ve given away T20 cricket, to try and prolong Test cricket. I’m not thinking two years down the track just yet. Let’s just think about Melbourne and then on to Sydney. But yeah, it’d certainly be nice to win an Ashes series in England,” Starc said as per cricket.com.au.
On Sunday, Australia retained the Ashes with two matches to spare after Starc took three of the last four wickets to blunt England’s defiant comeback Sunday in a tense fifth-day finish to the third cricket test. Australia started Day 5 needing four wickets to retain the Ashes, with England resuming at 6-207 and still 228 runs away from the victory target of 435 that would have required a world record to achieve.
Starc took the only wicket in the morning session — Jamie Smith running out of patience and caught by Cummins for 60 — as England piled on 102 runs. England’s rally had narrowed the Ashes equation at lunch on the last day: Australia needed three wickets to clinch the old urn in Adelaide and England needed 126 runs to keep the five-match series alive.
With England’s lower-order doggedly mounting pressure and Australia’s attack missing veteran spinner Nathan Lyon, who limped off the field with an injured hamstring, the leading bowler in the series delivered for the hosts. Starc, who was voted player of the match in Australia’s eight-wicket wins in Perth and Brisbane, took the wickets of Will Jacks (47) — spectacularly caught by Marnus Labuschagne, who dived from slip in front of the wicketkeeper — and Jofra Archer (3).
That left Scott Boland to finish it off. He dismissed Josh Tongue (1) and left Brydon Carse stranded on 39 as England was all out for 352.
(With agency inputs)
Australia's Mitchell Starc celebrates the wicket of England's Jofra Archer during play on the final day of the third Ashes cricket test between England and Australia in Adelaide, Australia, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/James Elsby) 
Share
