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"UAE is not like Australia where you can blast guys out on fast, bouncy wickets" : Mitchell Starc
Ahead of the two Tests against Pakistan in UAE, Australia pacer Mitchell Starc says he's happy to tone down his attacking instinct, and let spinners play the lead role in those conditions.
The last time Australia toured UAE, Starc played just one Test in which he conceded 142 runs while taking just two wickets as Pakistan romped to a 356-run victory. Starc, then very new to international cricket, felt he attacked more than necessary, but through experience of bowling in sub-continent conditions, he's ready to embrace a new role this time around.
"We've changed the roles of the fast bowlers over here, it's a little bit more of a supportive role and the spinners come into the game a lot sooner," Starc told reporters on Friday, 5 October.
"I've had conversations with JL (coach Justin Langer) and a few other guys about potentially changing my role slightly to these parts of the world. It's not like Australia where you can blast guys out on fast, bouncy wickets. It's almost playing a supporting role.
"In the past, perhaps that Test match I played here last time in Abu Dhabi, I was stuck in that Australian mindset of attack, attack, attack. I went for runs and didn't really take too many wickets," said Starc, about the time when he was "younger and less experienced".
Starc's initial tours in Asia hadn't been noteworthy but he learned his lessons the hard way, and started reaping rewards. In the 2016 tour of Sri Lanka, Starc claimed 24 wickets from three Tests at a stunning average of 15.16. It was a breakthrough series for him although Australia were whitewashed 3-0.
Then, the tour of India, brought more lessons. He feels the conditions in UAE will be less conducive than in Sri Lanka and India, but will apply his learnings from there into this assignment.
"I've progressed my game to play many different roles and I have to shape that role to this part of the world and watch the world's greatest [spinner] do his thing from the other end in Nathan [Lyon].
"In that tour I think I sort of realised when to attack and when to have to sit back, still not go for too many runs. When the ball was reversing, that's when I could attack.
"But at the same time, it's making sure you're building that pressure by not going for runs and earning the right to take those wickets and bowling attacking.
"Here where the wickets are probably even flatter and it's a bit warmer as well, you have to change that role again slightly, but I'll be definitely taking a bit of that [Sri Lanka series] blueprint into this tour as well."
Starc won't have the company of Josh Hazlewood or Pat Cummins, the fast bowlers who are charting recovery from injury, but could be bowling alongside experienced seamer Peter Siddle. Siddle has been out of the international set-up for a while, but has been performing well in domestic cricket – in the County Championship 2018, he claimed 37 wickets from just seven games at 16.40.
"He's got over 200 Test wickets, so he's got a lot of experience in international cricket," he said. "He's been away from the international game for a little bit but taken a lot of wickets in cricket in Australia and then over in England as well.
"[He's] a guy with a huge amount of experience. The ball seems to be coming out really well, he's in a very happy place. If he suits up for us on the weekend I'm sure he'll do a fantastic job as he has done in the past."
https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/871217
Ahead of the two Tests against Pakistan in UAE, Australia pacer Mitchell Starc says he's happy to tone down his attacking instinct, and let spinners play the lead role in those conditions.
The last time Australia toured UAE, Starc played just one Test in which he conceded 142 runs while taking just two wickets as Pakistan romped to a 356-run victory. Starc, then very new to international cricket, felt he attacked more than necessary, but through experience of bowling in sub-continent conditions, he's ready to embrace a new role this time around.
"We've changed the roles of the fast bowlers over here, it's a little bit more of a supportive role and the spinners come into the game a lot sooner," Starc told reporters on Friday, 5 October.
"I've had conversations with JL (coach Justin Langer) and a few other guys about potentially changing my role slightly to these parts of the world. It's not like Australia where you can blast guys out on fast, bouncy wickets. It's almost playing a supporting role.
"In the past, perhaps that Test match I played here last time in Abu Dhabi, I was stuck in that Australian mindset of attack, attack, attack. I went for runs and didn't really take too many wickets," said Starc, about the time when he was "younger and less experienced".
Starc's initial tours in Asia hadn't been noteworthy but he learned his lessons the hard way, and started reaping rewards. In the 2016 tour of Sri Lanka, Starc claimed 24 wickets from three Tests at a stunning average of 15.16. It was a breakthrough series for him although Australia were whitewashed 3-0.
Then, the tour of India, brought more lessons. He feels the conditions in UAE will be less conducive than in Sri Lanka and India, but will apply his learnings from there into this assignment.
"I've progressed my game to play many different roles and I have to shape that role to this part of the world and watch the world's greatest [spinner] do his thing from the other end in Nathan [Lyon].
"In that tour I think I sort of realised when to attack and when to have to sit back, still not go for too many runs. When the ball was reversing, that's when I could attack.
"But at the same time, it's making sure you're building that pressure by not going for runs and earning the right to take those wickets and bowling attacking.
"Here where the wickets are probably even flatter and it's a bit warmer as well, you have to change that role again slightly, but I'll be definitely taking a bit of that [Sri Lanka series] blueprint into this tour as well."
Starc won't have the company of Josh Hazlewood or Pat Cummins, the fast bowlers who are charting recovery from injury, but could be bowling alongside experienced seamer Peter Siddle. Siddle has been out of the international set-up for a while, but has been performing well in domestic cricket – in the County Championship 2018, he claimed 37 wickets from just seven games at 16.40.
"He's got over 200 Test wickets, so he's got a lot of experience in international cricket," he said. "He's been away from the international game for a little bit but taken a lot of wickets in cricket in Australia and then over in England as well.
"[He's] a guy with a huge amount of experience. The ball seems to be coming out really well, he's in a very happy place. If he suits up for us on the weekend I'm sure he'll do a fantastic job as he has done in the past."
https://www.icc-cricket.com/news/871217
