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Starc thunderbolt 'ball of the 21st century'

Shane Warne leads the praise for Mitchell Starc's unplayable seed that destroyed the stumps of England's James Vince

At 4:06pm local time in Perth, Mitchell Starc uprooted James Vince’s off stump with the "ball of the Ashes and the summer" according to Test legend Shane Warne

Starc, bowling from around the wicket from the Prindiville Stand End, fired down a 143.9kph thunderbolt that jagged off a snaking crack like a leg-break and cannoned into Vince’s off stump.

“Not much James Vince could have done about that,” Warne said on Wide World of Sports commentary.

“He might have just tried to hit it a fraction square. But that’s an absolute peach from the big left-arm quick, Mitchell Starc.”

Shortly after Warne posted a replay of the Starc’s delivery on Instagram with a caption that read: “Ball of the #Ashes and the summer. Starc is on fire here in the west!”

Former England captain Michael Vaughan also called it the "ball of the 21st century".

Former Australia captain Michael Clarke said Vince could not have done anything to stop that delivery.

"As a right-handed batsman facing that, he drags you into having to play," Clarke told WWOS.

"You feel like you have to play every ball.

"When that ball swings away that’s when you get the outside edge.

"Unfortunately for Vince, he was looking to hit the ball with the angle to the leg side and it hits the crack and takes out middle and off stump. He hasn’t done much wrong there.

"You can say play straight but that’s unplayable."

There is perhaps not better judge of magic, unplayable deliveries than Warne.

The 'original' Ball of the Century

In 1993 at Old Trafford, Warne bamboozled England veteran Mike Gatting with a ball that drifted, pitched outside leg stump, spun sharply and clipped the top of the right-hander’s off stump.

The delivery to dismiss Gatting has gone down in the history books as "The Ball of the Century" but Starc has made a strong case for the ball of the 21st century.

2017-18 International Fixtures

Magellan Ashes Series

Australia Test squad: Steve Smith (c), David Warner (vc), Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Peter Handscomb, Shaun Marsh, Mitchell Marsh, Tim Paine (wk), Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Jackson Bird.

England Test squad: Joe Root (c), James Anderson (vc), Moeen Ali, Jonny Bairstow, Jake Ball, Gary Ballance, Stuart Broad, Alastair Cook, Mason Crane, Tom Curran, Ben Foakes, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton, Ben Stokes, Mark Stoneman, James Vince, Chris Woakes.

First Test Australia won by 10 wickets. Scorecard

Second Test Australia won by 120 runs (Day-Night). Scorecard

Third Test WACA Ground, December 14-18. Tickets

Fourth Test MCG, December 26-30. Tickets

Fifth Test SCG, January 4-8 (Pink Test). Tickets

Gillette ODI Series v England

First ODI MCG, January 14. Tickets

Second ODI Gabba, January 19. Tickets

Third ODI SCG, January 21. Tickets

Fourth ODI Adelaide Oval, January 26. Tickets

Fifth ODI Perth Stadium, January 28. Tickets

Prime Minister's XI

PM's XI v England Manuka Oval, February 2. Tickets

Gillette T20 trans-Tasman Tri-Series

First T20I Australia v NZ, SCG, February 3. Tickets

Second T20I – Australia v England, Blundstone Arena, February 7. Tickets

Third T20I – Australia v England, MCG, February 10. Tickets

Fourth T20I – NZ v England, Wellington, February 14

Fifth T20I – NZ v Australia, Eden Park, February 16

Sixth T20I – NZ v England, Seddon Park, February 18

Final – TBC, Eden Park, February 21