The Australian team successfully regained the urn on home soil after beating England 4-1 in the Ashes 2025-26 with their dominating performances. Pacer Mitchell Starc was announced as the Ashes Player of the series and was awarded the Compton-Miller medal.

A job well done! #Ashes pic.twitter.com/PVSJTV892r

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 8, 2026

Interestingly, Australia was without key pacers Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins (who played only one game) in the series. However, Scott Boland and Michael Neser stepped up to secure consistent breakthroughs to break the resistance of the opposition. Let’s take a detailed look at how Starc led from the front to help Australia emerge as the Ashes 2025-26 winner.

Mitchell Starc Produces His Finest-Ever Test Series

Mitchell Starc came into the Ashes 2025-26 with a clear purpose, as he had earlier announced retirement from T20Is to focus on Test cricket. The reason was due to Australia’s jam-packed red-ball schedule from mid-2026, including tours to South Africa and India, home series against New Zealand and Bangladesh, and later the 2027 ODI World Cup.

31 wickets with the ball and two half-centuries with the bat 💪

Mitchell Starc wins the Compton-Miller Medal as the Ashes Player of the Series 🏅 pic.twitter.com/kV1IzaKGS5

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) January 8, 2026

Starc kicked off the series with sensational figures of 7/58 in the first innings in Perth, including the first three breakthroughs. As a result, England was bundled out for 172. He added three more in the second innings to make it a 10-wicket haul, and Australia sealed the 205-run chase with eight wickets to spare. Then, the Ashes player of the series continued his momentum to secure eight wickets in Brisbane, including figures of 6/75. He also played a terrific knock of 77 off 141 balls to pave the way for the hosts to secure a hefty lead of 177 runs. In the end, Australia chased the 69-run total easily.

WHAT A RIDICULOUS TAKE! Mitchell Starc sends Zak Crawley off for a pair! #Ashes | #PlayoftheDay | @nrmainsurance pic.twitter.com/1cg8PtLzx4

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) November 22, 2025

In the third game held in Adelaide, Mitchell Starc took four wickets and also contributed 61 runs, including a 54-run knock. The game witnessed the Ashes 2025-26 winner prevailing over England by 82 runs and retaining the urn. The Boxing Day Test was a low-scoring affair, where Starc bagged a total of four wickets, as England opened their account in the series. They chased down 175 successfully with four wickets left. During the final game in Sydney, Mitchell Starc picked five wickets, as Australia were clinical to seal the 160-run target in less than 32 overs.

What an #Ashes series with the ball for Mitchell Starc 🔥 pic.twitter.com/C2FRZApKyY

— 7Cricket (@7Cricket) January 8, 2026

Starc finished as the series’ top bowler with 31 wickets at an average of 19.93. It was his finest-ever Test series tally and broke his 23-wicket record set on foreign soil in the Ashes 2023. He also became only the fifth bowler to take over 30 wickets in an Ashes series in the 21st century.

– No Hazelwood for 5 Tests.
– No Cummins for 4 Tests.
– No Lyon for 3 Tests.

MITCHELL STARC WAS THE HERO, 31 wickets from 5 Tests, one of the Ultimate performances ever. ⭐

At the age of 35, bowling 140+, A legacy defining series in Tests. pic.twitter.com/6CgaYeOa8Q

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 8, 2026

Notably, the Compton-Miller medal is named after legendary cricketers Denis Compton and Keith Miller. Compton represented England in 78 matches and garnered 5,807 runs at an average of 50.06, with 17 hundreds. Meanwhile, Miller scored 2,958 runs in 55 appearances for Australia, with seven centuries.

How Mitchell Starc Overcame Travis Head to Clinch the Compton-Miller Medal?

Like Mitchell Starc, Travis Head had a series to remember. With 629 runs for the Ashes 2025-26 winner, he registered his career-best tally in the series. Head had a quiet start during the first innings in Perth, scoring just 21. However, he bounced back with a powerful knock of 123 off 83 balls, with 16 fours and four sixes. After scoring a total of 55 runs in Brisbane, he scored 170 off 219 during the second innings in Adelaide to guide Australia to an 82-run victory. In a low-scoring game at MCG, he contributed 58 across both innings.

Travis Head – 629 runs.
Mitchell Starc – 31 wickets.

Two Ashes defining performance by two main men of Australian cricket in this generation. 😍🔥

This will be remembered forever in Ashes History. pic.twitter.com/lNvKZ6C5Tm

— Johns. (@CricCrazyJohns) January 8, 2026

The final Test in Sydney witnessed him scoring 163 off 166, and earning the Player of the Match award. With this knock, the southpaw became only the fifth cricketer to score a red-ball century at seven different venues in Australia. Before him, Steve Waugh, Justin Langer, Matthew Hayden, and David Warner have achieved the same feat.

Mitchell Starc is the first bowler to take 30+ wickets in an Ashes series since Mitchell Johnson (37) in 2013-14 🔥 pic.twitter.com/hqxDa3ZTbd

— ESPNcricinfo (@ESPNcricinfo) January 7, 2026

However, Starc was a more suitable choice for the Ashes player of the series award. Along with picking 31 wickets, he scored 156 runs with the bat, signifying his all-round brilliance. Without Mitchell Starc, Australia probably would have lost the first two Tests in Perth and Adelaide. It was Starc’s supreme bowling performances that pushed the Ben Stokes-led side to the brink, as they fell like nine pins.

𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗱. 𝗦𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴. 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗮𝗰𝘆✨

Two Ashes. Two Player of the Series awards. Absolute dominance from Mitchell Starc🐐💥 pic.twitter.com/UsTMBv0aP6

— CricTracker (@Cricketracker) January 8, 2026

The English opening pair of Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett have been successful in putting pressure with their attacking strokeplay in recent years. But the left-arm pacer kept them quiet for most of the series. He dismissed one of them on four occasions in the first over of an innings, including both times in Perth. In this way, he set the tone for the Australian team to have an edge over England.

Mitch Starc joins an illustrious club! #Ashes live blog: https://t.co/jfYWTZcXop pic.twitter.com/Xy1QEYXl3F

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) January 8, 2026

Although Travis Head intrigued the cricket fraternity by scoring 600+ runs in the series, Mitchell Starc’s match-defining spells and contributions with the bat helped him bag a Compton-Miller medal in the Ashes 2025-26.