'Bradman's not touching that': Starc ball stuns cricket world
Some of the biggest names in world cricket have gone into meltdown over Mitchell Starc's 'ball of the 21st century', including arguably the greatest left-arm paceman in history.
Shane Warne's 'Gatting ball' was the best of the 20th century, but Starc produced his own candidate on Sunday with an absolute peach that bowled James Vince during the third Ashes Test at the WACA Ground.
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Bowling around the wicket, Starc sent down a 144km/h thunderbolt that hit a crack in the pitch and smashed Vince's stumps out of the ground.
Without deviation, the ball would have gone down the leg side, but instead it straightened up and rocketed the off-stump of Vince, who missed the ball by about 10cm.
Okay, make that many players in the history of the game 😱😯😮
Unplayable leg-breaks at 90mph from Mitch Starc 🔥#Ashes pic.twitter.com/zxZYupMBOr— The Ashes on BT Sport (@btsportcricket) December 17, 2017
The cricket world went absolutely nuts over the incredible delivery, with Warne himself leading the plaudits.
“Not much James Vince could have done about that,” Warne said in commentary.
“He might have just tried to hit it a fraction square. But that’s an absolute peach from the big left-arm quick."
Former Australia captain Michael Clarke labelled the ball 'unplayable'.
"Unfortunately for Vince, he was looking to hit the ball with the angle to the leg side and it hits the crack and takes out middle and off stump. He hasn’t done much wrong there," Clarke said.
"You can say play straight but that’s unplayable."
Warne later labelled Starc's delivery as the ball of the Ashes, while former England captain Michael Vaughan went even further, labelling it the ball of the 21st century.
Ball of the 21st century .... https://t.co/rvDiz5qRif
— Michael Vaughan (@MichaelVaughan) December 17, 2017
Ball of the #Ashes & the summer. Starc is on fire here at the WACA !!!! https://t.co/oETTNDCSAS
— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) December 17, 2017
And Pakistan legend Wasim Akram, arguably the best lefty of all time, even gave it his tick of approval.
"That’s called a JAFFA! What a delivery @mstarc56 you reminded me of my bowling days and I enjoyed it to the hilt! You made left armers proud!," Akram wrote on Twitter.
That’s called a JAFFA! What a delivery @mstarc56 you reminded me of my bowling days and I enjoyed it to the hilt! You made left armers proud! @CricketAus
— Wasim Akram (@wasimakramlive) December 17, 2017
The legend approves 🔥 #Ashes pic.twitter.com/n3o9uWvwCP
— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) December 17, 2017
Check out some of the other big names in awe of Starc's stunner:
Yep absolute seed 🔥 #ashes https://t.co/yaesFNgjGn
— Mitchell Johnson (@MitchJohnson398) December 17, 2017
You are not hitting that with a barn door!#Ashes https://t.co/QMteWDarjU
— Jason Gillespie 🌱 (@dizzy259) December 17, 2017
Hit that ball 😬
Starc bowls Vince in the Doorway to departure ✈️ #WhatACracker 👌👌#Ashes2017— Damien Fleming (@bowlologist) December 17, 2017
Wow Mitchell 😮 #AUSvsENG #Ashes
— Sean Abbott (@seanabbott77) December 17, 2017
Wow @mstarc56!
My brother used to get that type of movement off the brick driveway so I know how you’re feeling Vince. Grab yourself a cordial and a salada from Mum. It cheered me up.#Ashes— Andy Lee (@andy_lee) December 17, 2017
THAT IS OUT - Don't worry James, Bradman's not touching that either. Vince (55) cleaned up by Starc and his crack. Waca pitch playing its part. 100-4
— Dean Wilson (@CricketMirror) December 17, 2017
That Vince wicket ball would’ve dismissed every batsman in the history of the game. Not often you can say that #Ashes
— Jimmy Neesham (@JimmyNeesh) December 17, 2017
Sick delivery this one😃
— Allan Donald (@AllanDonald33) December 17, 2017
No one on the planet is playing that delivery 😳👀 #ashes
— Alex Tudor (@alextudorcoach) December 17, 2017
Can we really say how unplayable that ball to Vince was without knowing where Steven Smith would have hit it for four? #Ashes
— Andrew McGlashan (@andymcg_cricket) December 17, 2017
Best delivery from a left-armer in Australia since... Johnson to Pujara at the MCG, December 2014.
— Karthik Krishnaswamy (@the_kk) December 17, 2017
Starc has a history of creating special headlines at the WACA.
In November 2015, Starc entered cricket folklore by sending down a delivery against NZ that registered 160.4km/h on the speed gun - the fastest ever by a left-armer.