- Joined
- Oct 2, 2004
- Runs
- 217,696
Left out, rotated, overlooked, rested . . . plain old dropped: this was a familiar cycle as far as Mitchell Starc was concerned through the first four years of his international career. By the time he reached his 16th Test the left-arm quick had missed a match immediately after playing one on 11 occasions, having never stitched three together on the trot. One of those omissions was at Lord’s in 2013, switched out for Ryan Harris. But in the 36 Tests that have followed since Australia’s visit here in 2015, the opposite has been true: Starc the clear attack leader. Sure, he has missed plenty of Tests through injury in that period but never due to selection.
With this in mind, that Starc did not feature in last week’s Ashes opener at Edgbaston was the result of a big decision. It was quirky, too, given that in his most recent outing in February he took a neat 10-for-100 against Sri Lanka. But being the senior quick with 211 Test wickets – on the back of a World Cup where he had claimed 26 scalps – was not enough to save him from the new philosophical approach based primarily around team balance and governed by assessing conditions from venue to venue.
Neither Justin Langer nor Tim Paine was shy about this in the lead-up to the first Test, the latter stating that he saw Starc and James Pattinson as playing a “similar role”, clarifying that he wanted his attack to “complement each other” in a way that was not so the last time the Ashes were played for in this country. For Pattinson’s part, he said this week that, if he were to feature in either of the next two Tests, he would be content, given his own history with chronic back injuries.
Whether or not that opens the door for Starc at Lord’s is yet to be seen. But when speaking for the first time since carrying the drinks at Birmingham (or, rather, organising Steve Smith’s batting gloves), he showed no public sign of dissatisfaction about his current situation. “Everyone prefers to play but it’s pretty exciting that the cupboard is full of fast bowlers,” he said before hitting the road for London. “It’s awesome to see Jimmy Pattinson back after what he’s been through, and similarly Pat Cummins previously.”
He added: “We’re really close mates. So having that competition there whether it be Josh [Hazlewood] and I playing or a different two playing, it is a squad mentality. We’re here to win the Ashes. We’re not here to make it on the park. We want to win this Ashes. Whether that’s a different bowling attack each game, or the same through five Tests, it’s exciting.”
In 2015 it was Hazlewood, along with Mitchell Johnson, who did the bulk of the damage at Lord’s in a thumping 405-run victory – yet Starc was important too, in both innings making the early initial incision. Four years on he says he does not remember much about that experience, other than the lunch. But fresh in his memory more recently, this was the ground where during the World Cup he routed England then New Zealand with five-wicket bags in the space of five days.
“I don’t know if you’ve been talking to JL [Langer] or not,” Starc laughed when asked if he will get his opportunity at headquarters on Wednesday. “The boys did really well at Edgbaston. If called up at Lord’s I’m ready to go as well. We’re not sure what the conditions are going to be but, if it’s anything like that Irish Test, it’s perfect for us bowlers.” The 29-year-old also mentioned that he is fully fit after the rigours of a taxing white-ball campaign earlier in the summer.
Instructively Starc appreciates that it is controlling the Duke ball in England where he has fallen short on his two previous Ashes visits. “That is a balance that I’ve slowly gotten better at playing through 2013 and 2015,” he said. “I’ve been conscious of that and trying to build pressure from both ends. I think we’ve got an attack that does different things and builds pressure in different ways.” That was evident in patches at Worcester but he did fail to wipe away the lower order of the county side, in the way he has such a reputation for, with his pace and swing.
Even though Starc’s place at the top of the Australian pecking order is not so clear any more for this series, there is little doubt he will eventually be called on. It is anyone’s guess what an unexpected spell out of the side will do when that time comes but it will be fun to find out.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...arc-fast-bowlers-ashes-lords?CMP=share_btn_tw
With this in mind, that Starc did not feature in last week’s Ashes opener at Edgbaston was the result of a big decision. It was quirky, too, given that in his most recent outing in February he took a neat 10-for-100 against Sri Lanka. But being the senior quick with 211 Test wickets – on the back of a World Cup where he had claimed 26 scalps – was not enough to save him from the new philosophical approach based primarily around team balance and governed by assessing conditions from venue to venue.
Neither Justin Langer nor Tim Paine was shy about this in the lead-up to the first Test, the latter stating that he saw Starc and James Pattinson as playing a “similar role”, clarifying that he wanted his attack to “complement each other” in a way that was not so the last time the Ashes were played for in this country. For Pattinson’s part, he said this week that, if he were to feature in either of the next two Tests, he would be content, given his own history with chronic back injuries.
Whether or not that opens the door for Starc at Lord’s is yet to be seen. But when speaking for the first time since carrying the drinks at Birmingham (or, rather, organising Steve Smith’s batting gloves), he showed no public sign of dissatisfaction about his current situation. “Everyone prefers to play but it’s pretty exciting that the cupboard is full of fast bowlers,” he said before hitting the road for London. “It’s awesome to see Jimmy Pattinson back after what he’s been through, and similarly Pat Cummins previously.”
He added: “We’re really close mates. So having that competition there whether it be Josh [Hazlewood] and I playing or a different two playing, it is a squad mentality. We’re here to win the Ashes. We’re not here to make it on the park. We want to win this Ashes. Whether that’s a different bowling attack each game, or the same through five Tests, it’s exciting.”
In 2015 it was Hazlewood, along with Mitchell Johnson, who did the bulk of the damage at Lord’s in a thumping 405-run victory – yet Starc was important too, in both innings making the early initial incision. Four years on he says he does not remember much about that experience, other than the lunch. But fresh in his memory more recently, this was the ground where during the World Cup he routed England then New Zealand with five-wicket bags in the space of five days.
“I don’t know if you’ve been talking to JL [Langer] or not,” Starc laughed when asked if he will get his opportunity at headquarters on Wednesday. “The boys did really well at Edgbaston. If called up at Lord’s I’m ready to go as well. We’re not sure what the conditions are going to be but, if it’s anything like that Irish Test, it’s perfect for us bowlers.” The 29-year-old also mentioned that he is fully fit after the rigours of a taxing white-ball campaign earlier in the summer.
Instructively Starc appreciates that it is controlling the Duke ball in England where he has fallen short on his two previous Ashes visits. “That is a balance that I’ve slowly gotten better at playing through 2013 and 2015,” he said. “I’ve been conscious of that and trying to build pressure from both ends. I think we’ve got an attack that does different things and builds pressure in different ways.” That was evident in patches at Worcester but he did fail to wipe away the lower order of the county side, in the way he has such a reputation for, with his pace and swing.
Even though Starc’s place at the top of the Australian pecking order is not so clear any more for this series, there is little doubt he will eventually be called on. It is anyone’s guess what an unexpected spell out of the side will do when that time comes but it will be fun to find out.
https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2...arc-fast-bowlers-ashes-lords?CMP=share_btn_tw
