Published: Jan 05, 2026, 02:01 PM (IST)
Edited: Jan 05, 2026, 03:53 PM (IST)
The fifth and final Test match of the Ashes 2025-26 between Australia and England is underway in Sydney. Australian pacer Mitchell Starc continued his remarkable form, taking another wicket on the second day. On Monday, he dismissed England captain Ben Stokes for a duck.
Stokes, batting at number six, faced Starc’s sharp left-arm delivery in the 51st over. The ball bounced sharply, took a slight edge off Stokes bat, and was safely caught by wicketkeeper. While Starc didn’t appeal immediately, captain Steve Smith was confident and reviewed the decision. The replay confirmed the edge.
| Bowler | Country | Number of Times Dismissed Stokes |
|---|---|---|
| Mitchell Starc | Australia | 14 |
| Ravichandran Ashwin | India | 13 |
| Nathan Lyon | Australia | 10 |
| Ravindra Jadeja | India | 8 |
Starc has been in phenomenal form in this series, with 28 wickets, making him the leading bowler-no other bowler has reached 20 wickets. He has claimed five-wicket hauls twice during the the series.
This was the fifth time in this Ashes series that Starc dismissed Stokes and the 14th overall in Test cricket, surpassing former Indian off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who dismissed stokes 13 times.
Besides Starc and Ashwin, the list also includes Nathan Lyon (10) and Ravindra Jadeja (8).
Starc’s dominance over Stokes has been a key storyline of the series, further cementing his reputation as one of the top bowlers in Test cricket.
England’s veteran batter Joe Root became the joint-third highest century-maker in Test cricket history, according to the International Cricket Council (ICC), after scoring his 41st Test hundred during the fifth and final Ashes Test against Australia at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Monday.
With this century, Root joined Australian legend Ricky Ponting, who also finished his Test career with 41 hundreds. Ponting scored 13,378 runs in 168 Test matches at an impressive average of 51.85, including 62 half-centuries.
Root reached his milestone century in 146 deliveries during England’s first innings on Day 2 of the Sydney Test. This was his second hundred of the ongoing Ashes series, having earlier scored a century in the pink-ball Test in Brisbane.
Since 2021, Root has now scored 24 Test centuries, the most by any batter in this period.
Closing in on elite list
In the all-time list of most Test hundreds, Root now trails only:
The English batter is also closing in on 14,000 Test runs. He currently has 13,777 runs from 162 matches and 296 innings, maintaining a strong average of 50.83.
