Ashes Awards 2025/27: Starc Edges Head, Drama and Back Spasm

The urn is back in familiar hands as Australia clinch another Ashes, but beyond the scoreline lies a series full of individual brilliance, chaos and even a back spasm sideshow. Time for the unofficial Ashes honours to be handed out.

Starc’s series, Head’s heartbreak and chaos in between

Player of the series goes to Mitchell Starc, just ahead of the prolific Travis Head. While Head’s three hundreds lit up the back half, this Ashes was effectively decided in the first two Tests – and Starc owned that phase. In Perth and Brisbane, he ripped through England with 18 wickets and even tossed in a fluent 77 with the bat at the Gabba, throwing out serious Mitchell Johnson 2013 vibes.

With Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood missing at different points, Starc wasn’t just leading the attack; he was plugging gaps, bowling the hard overs and setting the tone with the new ball. At an age where most quicks start to dial it back, he looks more complete than ever and will be 37 by the next Ashes in England, still shaping up as Australia’s key weapon in swinging conditions.

Elsewhere in these tongue-in-cheek awards there’s room for unforgettable moments and the odd comedy entry – the kind of back spasm you feel in your soul at 4am in India after pulling an all-nighter for a session that goes south.

For Indian fans used to Jasprit Bumrah and Mohammed Shami deciding big series, Starc’s impact is a reminder: true away wins in Australia will only come when the Men in Blue find someone who can own an Ashes-style tour the way the left-armer just did.