Numbers expose the mediocrity of Mitchell Starc

[Yk313]

How are people comparing putting sandpaper on the ball to More surveillance these days means the likes of Waqar Younis would be ineffective. Dont think Waqar needed sandpaper to reverse the ball nor did it ever go that far with that team.

Pretty sure it went further on occasion.

But it’s a fairly moot in the sense that it was one of those open secrets that every team was doing whatever they could, whenever they could and wherever they could.

 

[sindhiboy]

Cummins and hazlewood had to carry the bowling line up. They bowled exceptionally well to compensate for starc and Lyons lackluster performances.

Don't know if it's bad captaincy of paine or starcs inconsistency which has led to this horrible series.

He was pretty good a year ago vs Pakistan and new Zealand where he took a truck load of wickets on very flat pitches.

 

[Robert]

A few Australian chickens have come home to roost this series. Like with Gillespie and Ponting, they have allowed star players Starc and Lyon to carry on too long and got exposed.

If only the Ashes were now instead of ten months away. Australia have time to rebuild.

 

[Robert]

How are people comparing putting sandpaper on the ball to More surveillance these days means the likes of Waqar Younis would be ineffective. Dont think Waqar needed sandpaper to reverse the ball nor did it ever go that far with that team.

But there was quite a bit of ripping the ball with fingernails.

 

[shah_1]

Cummins and hazlewood had to carry the bowling line up. They bowled exceptionally well to compensate for starc and Lyons lackluster performances.

Don't know if it's bad captaincy of paine or starcs inconsistency which has led to this horrible series.

He was pretty good a year ago vs Pakistan and new Zealand where he took a truck load of wickets on very flat pitches.

We are helpless against pace and bounce otherwise he is a bowling machine. Babar treated him the way he should be treated in that series

 

[sindhiboy]

We are helpless against pace and bounce otherwise he is a bowling machine. Babar treated him the way he should be treated in that series

What about the new Zealand batsmen? Starc took 15 wickets in 3 tests vs nz averaged 18. Cummins took 12 wickets in those 3 tests and averaged 19.

Starc is just very inconsistent, otherwise has all the skills

 

[Buffet]

The amount of things teams could get away with in those eras was insane.

Teams have to be a lot more subtle in this day and age to contest every possible inch.

Just one of the many reasons comparing across eras is an exercise in futility in my opinion.

Agree here.

 

[Sir Alex]

Starc has been deadly to lesser teams and thst is why he is ranked 8.

But he has been sorted out by India and hence the mediocre returns in both Indian series.

India worked out plans against everyone really and executed them perfectly. Whether batsmen or bowler. Cummins and to some extent Hazelwood were the only ones who succeeded.

Starc will come back with a vengeance against inferior teams and blow away their lower orders.

 

[Mamoon]

Starc when Australia is not cheating.

 

[Savak]

Starc when Australia is not cheating.

View attachment 106325

Lol Douggie Bollinger was a pretty good bowler. He looked like an innocuous operator but he could crank it up big time to 145 km/hr.

 

[wrongun]

Lol Douggie Bollinger was a pretty good bowler. He looked like an innocuous operator but he could crank it up big time to 145 km/hr.

I still remember the press conference where Dougie was making his Test debut & he promised to give 140 000% The press & media managers were just trying not to giggle at the number he chose. But he meant it so earnestly you have to love him.

Even Graham Smith (who was also at the conference) nodded to it when he was asked about the new bowler Australia had picked, "Well you have to respect anyone who is out there bowling at 140 000% but we'll just try to play him on his merits- blah blah". Priceless!

 

[wrongun]

Starc has been deadly to lesser teams and thst is why he is ranked 8.

But he has been sorted out by India and hence the mediocre returns in both Indian series.

India worked out plans against everyone really and executed them perfectly. Whether batsmen or bowler. Cummins and to some extent Hazelwood were the only ones who succeeded.

Starc will come back with a vengeance against inferior teams and blow away their lower orders.

I do think some posters here miss why Starc is in the team & what his strengths are.

Let's look FIRST at what STarc is not in the team to do: bowl long tidy spells. Be a line & length merchant. Work out top order batsmen who are set & beat them with a clever plan & discipline. If you expect that from him, he's a terrible Test bowler.

What IS Starcs role in the team? The fact he has a few tells you he is not quite as limited as all that & what he is actually good at.

1 Take the new ball & if it swings, decimate a top order in a few overs. That yorker. That inswing. When it it is on, it is VERY hard to beat. If the new ball swings Starc will have the opposition 2down for 20. Sometimes it swings, sometimes it doesn't but when it does there are very few tougher bowlers.

2 Clean up the tail. There just isn't a tail ender alive who enjoys facing a 6'6" left who bowls at 145k & has a good bouncer. His "nose & toes" approach is a but too simplistic for a set middle order batsman but prettt good at mopping up a tail usually. Starcs figures often feature a wicket up at the top order & then nothing until he grabs another 2 or 3 cheap tailenders. In this day & age of wagging tails, the ability of a scary quick or tricky spinner to remove the tail cheaply is not to be sneezed at.

3 Bouncer attack in middle overs. Basically any of Oz quicks have the tools to do this so it's not only Starc, but a fast hostile burst in the middle overs vs set batsmen to shake them up he can do well.

4 Reverse swing. Some people point out he's not as effective at this since the focus on ball security & lack of ways to shine the ball. Fair. But Imran & Waqar used to be allowed to scuff the ball before somehow all that became frowned upon (https://www.sportskeeda.com/cricket...khan-unplayable-former-indian-opener-arun-lal)

Starc didn't have a good series. He almost always gets worse to the point of being ineffectual at the end of a long series- which I hope the Oz analysts notice & just rotate him after 2 tests now, back for the 4th & 5th if the series is that long.

Starc is a decent red ball bowler sometimes- but India just played him very, very well. Hats off. Starc gets picked because that package of potential destruction in the first 4 overs, left arm variation, height & footmarks for Lyon looks SO attractive for a selector. But he's not great at red ball as he is with white.

Mind you, this "mediocre" Test bowler walks into almost any Test team in the world & does anyone criticising him come from a country with a current fast bowler with 255 Test wickets in 60 Tests at <28?

 

[Gilly]

You can expose any bowler if you cherry pick their stats.

 

[viveks]

I do think some posters here miss why Starc is in the team & what his strengths are.

Let's look FIRST at what STarc is not in the team to do: bowl long tidy spells. Be a line & length merchant. Work out top order batsmen who are set & beat them with a clever plan & discipline. If you expect that from him, he's a terrible Test bowler.

What IS Starcs role in the team? The fact he has a few tells you he is not quite as limited as all that & what he is actually good at.

1 Take the new ball & if it swings, decimate a top order in a few overs. That yorker. That inswing. When it it is on, it is VERY hard to beat. If the new ball swings Starc will have the opposition 2down for 20. Sometimes it swings, sometimes it doesn't but when it does there are very few tougher bowlers.

2 Clean up the tail. There just isn't a tail ender alive who enjoys facing a 6'6" left who bowls at 145k & has a good bouncer. His "nose & toes" approach is a but too simplistic for a set middle order batsman but prettt good at mopping up a tail usually. Starcs figures often feature a wicket up at the top order & then nothing until he grabs another 2 or 3 cheap tailenders. In this day & age of wagging tails, the ability of a scary quick or tricky spinner to remove the tail cheaply is not to be sneezed at.

3 Bouncer attack in middle overs. Basically any of Oz quicks have the tools to do this so it's not only Starc, but a fast hostile burst in the middle overs vs set batsmen to shake them up he can do well.

4 Reverse swing. Some people point out he's not as effective at this since the focus on ball security & lack of ways to shine the ball. Fair. But Imran & Waqar used to be allowed to scuff the ball before somehow all that became frowned upon (https://www.sportskeeda.com/cricket...khan-unplayable-former-indian-opener-arun-lal)

Starc didn't have a good series. He almost always gets worse to the point of being ineffectual at the end of a long series- which I hope the Oz analysts notice & just rotate him after 2 tests now, back for the 4th & 5th if the series is that long.

Starc is a decent red ball bowler sometimes- but India just played him very, very well. Hats off. Starc gets picked because that package of potential destruction in the first 4 overs, left arm variation, height & footmarks for Lyon looks SO attractive for a selector. But he's not great at red ball as he is with white.

Mind you, this "mediocre" Test bowler walks into almost any Test team in the world & does anyone criticising him come from a country with a current fast bowler with 255 Test wickets in 60 Tests at <28?

Spot on. And to add to this, his stats against top 6 bats are 33.1 runs per wicket @ 61 SR
Warne was 33.2 @ 68.2
Brett Lee was 35.6 @ 68.3
Broad is 32.9 @ 70.3
Boult is 32.7 @ 68.1

So not so bad as people are claiming

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

Spot on. And to add to this, his stats against top 6 bats are 33.1 runs per wicket @ 61 SR
Warne was 33.2 @ 68.2
Brett Lee was 35.6 @ 68.3
Broad is 32.9 @ 70.3
Boult is 32.7 @ 68.1

So not so bad as people are claiming

Shane Warne is overrated

 

[Mamoon]

Spot on. And to add to this, his stats against top 6 bats are 33.1 runs per wicket @ 61 SR
Warne was 33.2 @ 68.2
Brett Lee was 35.6 @ 68.3
Broad is 32.9 @ 70.3
Boult is 32.7 @ 68.1

So not so bad as people are claiming

These numbers reinforce the following arguments:

- Warne was incredible

- Starc and Lee are among the worst “prominent” Test bowlers Australia have had over the last couple of decades.

Warne played on some of the must unhelpful pitches that you can have for spinners, and to have those numbers simply shows how good he really was.

Starc and Lee have comparable numbers to Broad and Boult which is very disappointing considering the gift of pace that they have (had).

When you are capable of clocking 95 mph+ and are among the fastest bowlers in history, you should be way more devastating.

They just could not and cannot figure out Test match lengths - they have very average bowling brains for Test cricket.

The likes of Broad and Boult would be absolutely devastating if they could bowl at Starc and Lee’s speeds with the same skill-sets.

 

[Ab Fan]

Starc is not as bad as people are making him look like.

He is not your line and length channel bowler, he averages 15 in Sri Lanka and it is a place where Australia would love to win test matches based on their performances in last few SL tours.

A very good test bowler but obviously not as good as Stuart Broad, Josh Hazelwood, Mohammad Shami and Mitchell Johnson. A better LOI bowler than all of them though.

However, with 250+ test wickets, he is better than Mohammad Amir and Umar Gul.

 

[Savak]

The reason why Indians have done well against Starc is that they have faced him very often in the last 5-6 years. They know exactly what he is about i.e. the full pitched up inswinger, the short of a length delivery, the bouncer, reverse swing with the old ball. He has not really developed or diversified as a bowler. They also make sure that they play him with a very good technique.

Hazelwood and Cummins on the other hand can bowl 6 deliveries out of 6 in the same spot and they know how to build pressure and get the edges behind the stumps. But the biggest weakness both these bowlers have is the inability to bowl a rapid yorker consistently and to reverse swing the old ball which Mitchel Starc has.

I agree in future Australia should perhaps rotate Starc and not play him in 3 consecutive test matches. As it is Australia's bowling stocks are pretty good.

I also think Australia need to find a reliable Pace bowling all rounder who can be relied upon to bowl in every test match, pick up a wicket or two, do a holding role to reduce the pressure on the 3 main quicks.

 

[viveks]

These numbers reinforce the following arguments:

- Warne was incredible

- Starc and Lee are among the worst “prominent” Test bowlers Australia have had over the last couple of decades.

Warne played on some of the must unhelpful pitches that you can have for spinners, and to have those numbers simply shows how good he really was.

Starc and Lee have comparable numbers to Broad and Boult which is very disappointing considering the gift of pace that they have (had).

When you are capable of clocking 95 mph+ and are among the fastest bowlers in history, you should be way more devastating.

They just could not and cannot figure out Test match lengths - they have very average bowling brains for Test cricket.

The likes of Broad and Boult would be absolutely devastating if they could bowl at Starc and Lee’s speeds with the same skill-sets.

Warne was incredible - agreed

Starc and Lee are among the most "prominent" test bowlers" - But the question is whether they are good enough for the aussie team. I would say as the third pacers, they are adequate(more than enough)

"The likes of Broad and Boult would be absolutely devastating if they could bowl at Starc and Lee’s speeds with the same skill-sets." - Maybe - But doesn't really matter

 

[Sir Alex]

The reason why Indians have done well against Starc is that they have faced him very often in the last 5-6 years. They know exactly what he is about i.e. the full pitched up inswinger, the short of a length delivery, the bouncer, reverse swing with the old ball. He has not really developed or diversified as a bowler. They also make sure that they play him with a very good technique.

Hazelwood and Cummins on the other hand can bowl 6 deliveries out of 6 in the same spot and they know how to build pressure and get the edges behind the stumps. But the biggest weakness both these bowlers have is the inability to bowl a rapid yorker consistently and to reverse swing the old ball which Mitchel Starc has.

I agree in future Australia should perhaps rotate Starc and not play him in 3 consecutive test matches. As it is Australia's bowling stocks are pretty good.

I also think Australia need to find a reliable Pace bowling all rounder who can be relied upon to bowl in every test match, pick up a wicket or two, do a holding role to reduce the pressure on the 3 main quicks.

Well not sure, Gill has not played Starc before to thr best of my knowledge in IPL or otherwise. He was literally treating him like an IPL cannon fodder bowler.

The point is, these Indians trust themselves and their techniques and have absolutely no fear whatsoever or overt respect for any bowler. Not even Cummins, who was spectacular by the way. Sundar and Shardul were tonking Cummins for example.

 

[MenInG]

STARC SILENCES NEW-BALL CRITICS... FOR NOW

Critics tend to mount quicker for some players than others for a variety of reasons.

What the reasons are in the case of Mitchell Starc aren’t clear. But what’s certain is that only Mitch Marsh can say he’s more swiftly judged for an off-night than the left-armer in this current team.

This was not one of those nights.

Starc was at his best, delivering a blistering opening spell that will serve as a timely reminder of why he’s Australia’s best opening bowling option.

He needed just a single ball to make an impact and set the tone, removing Evin Lewis caught and bowled with the first delivery of the innings.

The next wicket was textbook Starc; a gorgeous inswinger that bowled Jason Mohammed — and should be hung in the Louvre.

A third over brought Starc a third wicket as another full delivery trapped Nicholas Pooran in front for a duck.

Working in tandem with Josh Hazlewood, Australia reduced the West Indies to 6-27 inside eight overs.

When brought back into the attack for a second spell, he took just three balls to nick off in-form batsman Kieron Pollard to effectively seal the match.

Starc certainly has some off-nights, but it’s performances like these that surely make him the first-choice option to open the bowling at the World Cup.

https://www.foxsports.com.au/cricke...n/news-story/0e92c3d00e97587f711bdbbd0a105c8a

 

[MenInG]

Mitchell Starc has taken another step on his path to ODI greatness, moving to fifth for the most five-wicket hauls in the format.

Starc took the eighth five-wicket haul of his ODI career in Tuesday’s match against the West Indies, collecting figures of 5/48.

The day’s work took Starc past Australian compatriot Glenn McGrath’s seven five-wicket hauls. He is now joint fifth for most ODI five-fors with Sri Lankan great Lasith Malinga.

He is only one five-wicket haul behind third-placed Brett Lee and Shahid Afridi, two behind Sri Lankan icon Muttiah Muralitharan and five behind Pakistan great Waqar Younis.

The Australian's eight five-wicket hauls have come at a record pace, with the left-arm seamer taking just 97 ODIs to get there.

Younis was the previous quickest to eight five-wicket hauls, reaching the mark in his 137th ODI and 135th innings. Rounding out the three fastest to the mark is Lee, who took his eighth five-for in his 165th ODI and 162nd innings.

Malinga took his eighth five-for in his 208th ODI (202nd innings), Muralitharan in his 232nd (226) and Afridi in his 334th (309th).

Starc picked up three wickets in his first three overs on Tuesday as he and new ball partner Josh Hazlewood combined for six wickets inside the Powerplay.

With Australia debuting three players and Alex Carey captaining the team for the first time, the pace spearhead said it was important for him and Hazlewood to step up.

“It was a special day, we had three debutants and a bloke captaining his first time for Australia, so a pretty special day for our group,” he said at the post-match presentation.

“I thought we did a fantastic job with the job with the bat to get to 250 with a couple of really good partnerships there so it was important for two older blokes with the ball to start us off really well and I thought we were fantastic in the Powerplay.”

The Bridgetown effort was Starc’s first five-wicket haul of Australia’s ICC Cricket World Cup Super League campaign. He will now be hoping to dominate the competition in the same way he has his two Cricket World Cup tournaments so far.

Three of Starc’s five-wicket hauls have come in World Cup events giving him the record for the most in tournament history.

Those three five-fors have come across just two tournaments, with Starc already the World Cup’s fifth-greatest wicket-taker with 49 at 14.81.

At the last tournament, he took a record-breaking 27 at 18.59, eclipsing McGrath’s record haul of 26 at 13.73 in 2007.

Starc will next be in action on Thursday when the two teams meet in the second ODI.

 

[Ashraful_Rox]

Starc never really performed against India, world's number 1 team. But I have to admit I enjoy watching him steaming in, don't want test cricket but he certainly is fun in ODIs.

 

[Ab Fan]

He is a good player. Gets unnecessary hate. 300 test wickets and 200 ODI wickets are not joke.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

Rich man's Jeff Thomson.

 

[Local.Dada]

Given the kind of players that have hype here like Sharjeel, Azam,Maqsood etc and on the flip side the players that are considered overrated, I sometimes wonder how Pakistanis would react if they had the below players

Pandya
Pant
Starc
Sachin

Few of the names top of my head.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

He's a pretty good test bowler but an even better ODI bowler. I think as an ODI bowler he will surely go down as one of the ATGs. Dominated in an era when ODI cricket was more batsman friendly than ever, lead his side to the World Cup and topped the wicket-taking charts for two consecutive World Cups. Unreal stuff and he's still got another World Cup in him.

 

[shamaan]

Given the kind of players that have hype here like Sharjeel, Azam,Maqsood etc and on the flip side the players that are considered overrated, I sometimes wonder how Pakistanis would react if they had the below players

Pandya
Pant
Starc
Sachin

Few of the names top of my head.

We have shaheen he will be as good as starc if not better.

 

[Unleashed]

We have shaheen he will be as good as starc if not better.

The delusion of you guys is incredible. It's unrelated to your team performance, you lot just keep on sprouting delusion and be comfortable. Hilarious. Shaheen isn't even near Starc right now.

 

[MenInG]

Mitchell Starc becomes the first Australian men's cricketer to take 50 T20I wickets

 

[Ashmal]

Given the kind of players that have hype here like Sharjeel, Azam,Maqsood etc and on the flip side the players that are considered overrated, I sometimes wonder how Pakistanis would react if they had the below players

Pandya
Pant
Starc
Sachin

Few of the names top of my head.

Pandya, seriously...lol

What the heck has he achieved to be included among those names

 

[shamaan]

The delusion of you guys is incredible. It's unrelated to your team performance, you lot just keep on sprouting delusion and be comfortable. Hilarious. Shaheen isn't even near Starc right now.

First read my post if you fail to understand I can repeat it again in baby language.
He WILL be.

 

[Joseph Gomes]

Is Mitchell Starc the most inconsistent bowler in history?

Starc is not a bad bowler in any format, in fact he is one of the GOAT bowlers in ODIs easily. That's why I am not including random bowlers who failed to live up to their expectations. But I have never, ever seen any accomplished bowler be so amazing or trash in every other match as Starc. On his day, Starc is one of the deadliest bowlers ever, but on off days, Starc is worse than part timers from associate nations.

How does a single bowler blow hot and cold at this degree? Do you agree with Starc being the most inconsistent, or anybody else?

 

[Ab Fan]

Yes agreed with this. On a given day, magnificent and on the other day, awful.

 

[SpiritOf1903]

Rightful heir to Johnson

 

[Unbiased-Fan]

Starc is probably most impact less test bowler with close to 300 wickets..
But, you can't ignore his limited overs greatness..
He is averaging just 22 in this era of ODIs, where bowlers with close to 30 average are considered great..
He is already ATG for me in ODI format, but sadly he is out of the form now a days.

 

[shamaan]

The delusion of you guys is incredible. It's unrelated to your team performance, you lot just keep on sprouting delusion and be comfortable. Hilarious. Shaheen isn't even near Starc right now.

What's your comparison now ?

 

[mastimasti]

Starc is probably most impact less test bowler with close to 300 wickets..
But, you can't ignore his limited overs greatness..
He is averaging just 22 in this era of ODIs, where bowlers with close to 30 average are considered great..
He is already ATG for me in ODI format, but sadly he is out of the form now a days.

Not sure if an ODI fast bowler with an average of 30 is considered great, do you have an example?

But I do agree STarc the ODI bowler is one of the very best over the last 10 years, people forget just how good he was in the 2015 WC. But there are some major question marks:

Just how prevalent was ball tampering in the ODI team throughout that period?
99 ODI matches in the modern age is a small number and great bowlers don't just have great figures, they have great longevity, Starc is yet to show this.

 

[MenInG]

Brisbane: Former Australia pacer Ryan Harris has backed left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc to do well in the Ashes despite criticism from former leg-spinner Shane Warne. He feels that Starc should be in the first Ashes Test at The Gabba in Brisbane because he provides the left-arm variation as well.

Warne has been leading calls for Starc to be replaced by Jhye Richardson for the first Ashes Test in Brisbane, pointing to his fluctuating colours for Australia. In the Border Gavaskar Trophy this year, Starc picked only 11 wickets at an average of 40.72 and conceded 60 runs in the final of the Men’s T20 World Cup against New Zealand.

“I don’t know what Starcy (Starc) has done to Warnie (Warne). I’m backing him in. I thought he bowled okay at the World Cup. He did what he needed to do, he did his job. But the thing for me is if Mitchell Starc is swinging the ball, albeit a white one, it’s a good sign, and he did that in just about every game in Dubai and Abu Dhabi,” Harris told SEN SA Breakfast show.

“I’m keeping him in he adds a bit of variation as well. Don’t get me wrong, Jhye Richardson is bowling very well, we had a game against Queensland two weeks ago and the boys said he bowled very quick and swung the ball nicely. He’s in good form as well, but I like Mitchell Starc for that variation of the left arm,” added Harris, who picked 113 wickets in 27 Tests.

Harris proceeded to slam Warne for his criticism of Starc and thinks his ability to swing the ball in possibly overcast conditions in Brisbane will come handy for the first Test.

“I don’t think he’s far away, if Mitchell Starc is swinging the ball, it means he’s getting a good position with his wrist, and that generally allows you to put the ball consistently in the right spot. So, I’d be backing him for the first Test, especially at the Gabba, he loves it there.

“But again, I don’t know what he’s done to Warnie. I’m a bit disappointed in that (criticism by Warne of Starc). I’m not a big fan of coming out and slaying in the media. I hope that Warnie had a phone call to Starc and explained what he’s talking about.”

https://www.cricketcountry.com/news...ba-test-match-despite-warne-criticism-1007433

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Numbers are really bad for Starc / Lyon in last 10 tests - especially to the top 6 batsman were they averaged nearly 70 a wicket last summer. This is why they are both under pressure and need to start the series well. Lyon plays 1st test but surely Richardson instead of Starc <a href="https://t.co/AyfpS5WGVI">https://t.co/AyfpS5WGVI</a></p>— Shane Warne (@ShaneWarne) <a href="https://twitter.com/ShaneWarne/status/1466186266613993473?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 1, 2021</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[MenInG]

Australian cricket legend Brett Lee has rejected criticism of Mitchell Starc and declared the polarising quick is primed to have an “incredible Ashes series”.

Shane Warne has led calls for Starc to replaced by Jhye Richardson for the five-match series against England, pointing to Starc’s poor recent form in national colours.

Sport’s greatest rivalry is just around the corner and you can catch the Ashes live and ad-break free during play. New to Kayo? Start your free trial today >

In last summer’s Test series with India, Starc claimed only 11 wickets at an average of 40.72 and was also below his brilliant best at the T20 World Cup, proving especially expensive in the final against New Zealand (0-60 from four overs).

But Starc’s critics have done little to convince champion fast bowler Lee, who played in three Ashes series wins, including the 2006-07 whitewash.

Lee believes the experienced fast-bowling trio of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc are crucial to Australia’s chances of victory.

“Pat Cummins, the skipper, and Josh Hazlewood, they’re definitely two of the first picked. And I’m going to go with Mitchell Starc,” Lee told SEN’s Breakfast With Vossy.

“You need experience when you’re playing in such a big series.

“A lot of people are calling for (Starc’s) head on the chopping block. I’m not going down that road.

“I’m going to say Mitchell Starc can produce an incredible Ashes series if he can get the ball to swing back at 150km/h, which he’s very, very capable of.”

Lee conceded, though, that a quiet start to the Ashes could make Starc’s position in the 11 untenable.

“If I’m wrong and he doesn’t perform in the first couple of Tests, well (it’s) fair enough (for him to be dropped). I just back Mitchell Starc,” Lee said.

Lee also gave his two cents on the race between Usman Khawaja and Travis Head for the fifth spot in the batting order.

Both have impressed at domestic level so far this summer but Lee believes Khawaja has a slight edge on his rival.

“Travis Head is a phenomenal cricketer and can definitely play a huge role for Australia moving forward, but I just think with that experience of Khawaja with his temperament … he’s got a lot to offer,” Lee said.

“I think he’s probably just nudging in front of Head.”

Cricket Australia announced on Thursday that Carey would take Tim Paine’s place behind the stumps for the first Ashes Test, having beaten out fellow wicketkeeper Josh Inglis.

Lee believes elevating Carey to the Test squad is the right call, saying the 30-year-old’s experience at ODI and T20I level and his recent century in the Marsh Cup made a strong case for selection.

“You don’t want to go into an Ashes series with a new-blooded captain and a new-blooded keeper,” Lee said.

“Alex Carey, playing for Australia in white-ball cricket, coming off a 50-over 100, form on the board, 30 years of age … he’s the obvious choice.”

https://www.foxsports.com.au/cricke...n/news-story/a700834d19255092185d35df7d781c63

 

[James]

Writing off players before the start of an Ashes series has a pointed historical habit of creating the opposite situation in reality. The more people doubt Starc, the better he may well end up performing.

 

[Last Monetarist]

Interview after the day's play analyzing the first ball to Burns:

<div style="width: 100%; height: 0px; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.250%;"><iframe src="https://streamable.com/e/2scvyb" frameborder="0" width="100%" height="100%" allowfullscreen style="width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute;"></iframe></div>

 

[Ab Fan]

He had a few poor outings but overall his record is very good in tests.

250 test wickets at 27

In ODIs and T20Is, he averages 22 each and the sample is more than good enough for this era.

 

[James]

He had a few poor outings but overall his record is very good in tests.

250 test wickets at 27

In ODIs and T20Is, he averages 22 each and the sample is more than good enough for this era.

Yeah…underrated. Gets an unfair load of criticism. He will take more wickets later today.

 

[Mean&Green]

These numbers reinforce the following arguments:

- Warne was incredible

- Starc and Lee are among the worst “prominent” Test bowlers Australia have had over the last couple of decades.

Warne played on some of the must unhelpful pitches that you can have for spinners, and to have those numbers simply shows how good he really was.

Starc and Lee have comparable numbers to Broad and Boult which is very disappointing considering the gift of pace that they have (had).

When you are capable of clocking 95 mph+ and are among the fastest bowlers in history, you should be way more devastating.

They just could not and cannot figure out Test match lengths - they have very average bowling brains for Test cricket.

The likes of Broad and Boult would be absolutely devastating if they could bowl at Starc and Lee’s speeds with the same skill-sets.

But broad and Anderson wouldn’t last 5 years if they had starc or lees pace because with pace come injuries and Andersons whole career is based on bowling at 130 kph and maintaining longevity.

 

[Ab Fan]

Bad patches are part of the game. What are his numbers in this Ashes though, a series that matters the most for Aussies and English fans?

He is an Australian great in Tests and an all time great in limited overs without any doubt.

 

[James]

Writing off players before the start of an Ashes series has a pointed historical habit of creating the opposite situation in reality. The more people doubt Starc, the better he may well end up performing.

Case in point

 

[wrongun]

He's gonna end up with 350 Test wickets & a formidable ODI record. Excellent bowler overall. Maybe not an atg but excellent.

 

[jnaveen1980]

The ball he bowled to Stokes was an absolute peach.

 

[Seen Sheen]

To be honest, his bowling was not as good against India as it has been in the last couple of tests. There was no zip and potency, and Indians were managing him pretty easily off the pitch. He looked like a bowler devoid of ideas/confidence, who didn't really have a line-length bit in his armory to fall back on. Perhaps, it had got something to do with the pitches in that series or he was not in the best of rhythms or combination of both; dont know but he certainly has looked pretty lethal here and the zip off the pitch has accounted for most of the key dismissals (Malan and Stokes).

Even though his stocks have fallen a little bit in tests over last couple of years but I still think he is the third best test pacer in Australia. Having seen the reserves and catching a little bit of Australian domestic cricket, don't think there is anyone better that could displace him in the test team. Infact, I actually think the fourth best pacer in Australia is already playing in the team.
PS: Neser probably has got a strong case to replace him in English conditions though.

 

[transparent opacity]

Starc centimetres from rare Test feat

Paceman Mitchell Starc says he's never really thought about his huge number of chances to take a hat-trick for Australia.

For the 15th time, Mitchell Starc was on a hat-trick for Australia.

And for the 15th time, he missed the rare milestone - this time by mere centimetres.

Not that it bothers Starc too much.

"I didn't know that was the number," Starc said of his opportunities to take a hat-trick in all formats for Australia.

"It's not like you chase it.

"You try and play a part and it's not something I have ever thought too much about."

Starc took three wickets in sizzling spells of reverse-swing bowling as Pakistan wilted in the Karachi heat on day three of the second Test.

After watching Australia's batsmen amass 9(dec)-556 in two days and 35 minutes - 189 overs all up - Pakistan crashed to 148 all out in 53 overs.

Australia then opted against the follow-on, reaching 1-81 at stumps - a massive lead of 489 runs.

Starc was the chief destroyer, his 3-29 from 13 overs including the dismissals of Azhar Ali and Fawad Alam in consecutive deliveries.

His hat-trick ball was a ripper, angling in to Mohammad Rizwan, who shaped a defensive shot, only for the ball to move way, just past his outside edge.

"That ball must have hit a crack ... it was still a decent ball," Starc said.

Starc's strikes came as lost Pakistan 9-92 in a 23-over span.

"I'm not sure we thought it might happen that quickly," Starc said.

"Credit to the whole bowling attack, and certainly the fielders as well, to apply ourselves in the way we did and come away with the results we did.

"It really sets up a good final two days."

Some pundits railed against captain Pat Cummins' decision to extend Australia's innings into the third day.

Some queries were also raised about Cummins' decision not to enforce the follow-on as Australia seek a first Karachi win in nine Tests, and 1-0 series lead.

"How we bowled today has given us the opportunity to explore the options of how we want to approach it," Starc said.

"By no means are we thinking too far ahead.

"All we have done is give ourselves a really good opportunity to dictate the game in any number of options we want to take.

"There's still two days. There's still going to be 10 wickets we have got to take.

"I know we have got a healthy lead, no doubt.

"But if you look at Test matches gone-by in both Pakistan and the UAE and on the subcontinent, you don't see too many home sides enforce the follow-on."

https://7news.com.au/sport/cricket/starc-centimetres-from-rare-test-feat-c-6055672

 

[Amjid Javed]

Starc in the UAE was pretty poor, however you will get the odd occasion where in conditions which allow for reverse swing where he will run through a side like he did today.

 

[MenInG]

Australia have leap-frogged a rival on the path to automatic qualification for the 2023 Cricket World Cup, with Mitchell Starc spearheading the team's assault.

With three wickets in Australia's win over Zimbabwe, Starc is one wicket away from becoming the sixth bowler to reach 200 men's ODI wickets in green and gold.

Starc led the charge in Townsville, taking the wickets of Innocent Kaia, Wesley Madhevere and Tadiwanashe Marumani in his first four overs, consigning the tourists to 14/3. Regis Chakabva's side were unable to recover, eventually bowled out for 96.

Australia lost David Warner and Aaron Finch early in the reply, with Zimbabwe's left-arm quick Richard Ngarava (2/16) asking questions of his own. Ngarava also found the outside half of Steve Smith's bat, only for the ball to squeeze past a waiting fielder at backward point.

Smith went on to make light work of the chase, finishing on 47* (41), and was joined by Alex Carey (26* off 33 balls) as the hosts cruised to the target in the 15th over.

The win takes the Aussies to 90 points on the Super League table, overtaking the West Indies (88 points) and moving to seventh place. The top eight teams at the end of the competition go straight to India for the 2023 World Cup, with the bottom five moving to the Cricket World Cup Qualifier, held in Zimbabwe next year.

They have now taken a 2-0 unassailable lead in the three-match series.

A win over Zimbabwe in the third ODI would likely move the Australians into sixth, while Zimbabwe will feature in the Qualifier on home soil.

Most men's ODI wickets for Australia

Glenn McGrath - 380 wickets - 1993-2007
Brett Lee - 380 wickets - 2000-2012
Shane Warne - 291 wickets - 1993-2003
Mitchell Johnson - 239 wickets - 2005-2015
Craig McDermott - 203 wickets - 1985-1995
Mitchell Starc - 199 wickets* - 2010-2022

https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/2770460

 

[Nikhil_cric]

287 Test wickets at 27.62. That's comparable to Boult's record.

 

[Ab Fan]

Numbers don't expose anything. They say that he is an excellent all format bowler. A great LOI cricketer and a very good test bowler too, bringing a new dimension to a bowling attack with left arm, express pace and tall height.

 

[jeeteshssaxena]

Rich man's Jeff Thomson.

 

[sweep_shot]

Stats do not always tell the full picture. Not in cricket.

What Starc brings to the table is much more than numbers.

 

[MenInG]

No pressure there for Starc

The target for the Knight Riders remains ending their trophy drought. All Gambhir is hoping for is to see Starc do what he has done for Australia over the years.

"I don't think the price tag will be an added pressure for him. I only hope he can do for KKR what he does for Australia in international cricket," said Gambhir after reaching Kolkata for the T20 league.

 

[Ab Fan]

In test matches in SENA, he is nowhere as good as Hazelwood or Cummins.

In Asia, he is comfortably better than Hazelwood but nothing extraordinary.

Overall a very good test bowler and an ATG ODI player.

 

[Kianig89]

Mitchell Starc is a great bowler, exceptional player definitely in Elite category

 

[Ab Fan]

Good performance, looking set for 400 test wickets.

 

[Kianig89]

The signs of a great player just when you think he is over, strikes again with a bang 6/48

 

[Xoib]

Shaheen Afridi should learn from him how he managed his workload by playing all three formats without sacrificing his pace