Mitchell Starc is No. 1 at 36. What actually changed?
Mackay's ten-wicket demolition moved Starc above Jasprit Bumrah and Matt Henry. It makes him the leader of a moving table—not the winner of a permanent argument.
7 sourcesprimary source
Why it matters
Understanding the rating model makes the milestone more useful: No. 1 describes current weighted performance, not a career verdict produced by raw wickets.
Story ledger
What changed
Six for 12
Starc takes a wicket with the first ball and reaches five in 22 balls before Bangladesh are dismissed for 64 in Mackay.
1 linked sourceTen wickets and a level series
Starc adds four for 39; Australia win by an innings and 51 runs and draw the series 1–1.
1 linked sourceA first No. 1 ranking
Starc rises two places to 872 points, ahead of Bumrah on 862 and Henry on 861.
1 linked source
The read
What to carry forward
- Starc reached No. 1 for the first time with 872 points.
- His six for 12 and four for 39 produced ten for 51 in a series-leveling win.
- ICC ratings are a weighted moving average, not cumulative points for wickets.
- A missed Test costs one per cent of a player's rating under the published method.
- The 26 August order is a snapshot, not a settled Starc-versus-Bumrah verdict.