Mitchell Starc vs Kagiso Rabada - comparing their stats after 70 Tests ahead of WTC 2025 final 

Mitchell Starc and Kagiso Rabada have been two of the finest exponents of pace bowling in Test cricket. Their talents will again be on display when Australia clashes with South Africa in the WTC 2025 Final, which is scheduled to take place from June 11 to 15 at Lord's Cricket Ground in London.

Starc's Test debut came in 2011 and since then, he has become a mainstay in the Australian team. The left-arm quick has scalped 382 wickets in 96 games, with 72 scalps coming in the WTC 2023-25 cycle.

Meanwhile, Rabada made his debut in 2015 and quickly proved his merit with consistent breakthroughs. He is the top bowler for South Africa in this WTC cycle with 47 dismissals.

On that note, let's take a look at how Kagiso Rabada has fared in comparison to Mitchell Starc after his first 70 Tests.

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#1 Most wickets

Player	Matches	Wickets	5 wicket hauls
Mitchell Starc	70	283	13
Kagiso Rabada	70	327	16

Until his 70th Test appearance in June 2022, Mitchell Starc had scalped 283 wickets, which also included 13 five-wicket hauls. 2016 was Starc's finest year as he picked 50 wickets.

Kagiso Rabada has done better than Starc at this point, as he has bagged 327 wickets so far in his career, which also includes 16 five-wicket hauls. Rabada's best output came in 2017, where he finished with 57 dismissals.

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#2 Average and best figures

Player	Matches	Average	Best Match figures
Mitchell Starc	70	27.70	11/94
Kagiso Rabada	70	22.01	13/144

Mitchell Starc held an average of 27.70 in the first 70 games of his illustrious Test career. The left-arm pacer produced his best match figures of 11/94 against Sri Lanka in Galle in 2016.

Meanwhile, Kagiso Rabada has again edged Starc in this aspect, while holding an average of 22.01. His best-ever match figures of 13/144 came against England in Centurion in 2016.

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#3 Record in foreign soil

Player	Matches	Wickets on away soil	Best Match figures
Mitchell Starc	29	102	11/94
Kagiso Rabada	33	133	9/72

Mitchell Starc had played 29 matches outside Australia until his 70th Test appearance, where he bagged a total of 102 wickets. Apart from the aforementioned figures of 11/94, Starc displayed supreme performances during the South Africa tour in 2018.

Starc returned with figures of 9/109 in the opening Test in Durban, which helped Australia to win by 118 runs. It was the only win the visitors could secure before they lost the series 3-1.

Kagiso Rabada has so far secured 133 wickets on away soil in 33 games. His best figures of 9/72 came in December 2024, when he propelled the side to an easy victory against Bangladesh.

With 14 wickets in only two games in the same series, Rabada helped South Africa win their first series in the subcontinent since 2014.

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#4 Contributions in a winning cause

Player	Total Wickets	No. of wickets in winning cause	% of wickets in winning cause
Mitchell Starc	283	170	60.07
Kagiso Rabada	327	212	64.83

Mitchell Starc had accumulated 170 wickets in winning efforts in his first 70 Tests, which accounts for 60.07% of his total wicket tally. He notably has scalped 41 wickets combined in the last two Ashes series taking place in Australia, which resulted in the home side emerging as the winner with a margin of 4-0.

Kagiso Rabada has 212 wickets in a winning cause in his career, which is 64.83% of his total dismissals in the format.

It is worth noting that Rabada ended as the second-highest wicket-taker in the WTC 2021-23 cycle with 67 dismissals. He played a key role in South Africa finishing third in the final standings, while securing eight wins in 15 games.

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Conclusion

Kagiso Rabada turns out to be a better performer than Mitchell Starc in the first 70 Tests. He got off to a superb start to his red-ball and maintained consistency in securing breakthroughs across all surfaces.

Although Starc has done well on foreign soil and won games for Australia, Rabada has fared slightly better than him in these aspects as well.