There are rumors regarding Mitchell Starc all the time. In Australian cricket, he is a lightning rod for opinions. However, the rumors circulating at the beginning of this summer are creating a great deal of enthusiasm.
Two weeks ago, his off-Broadway Sheffield Shield seven-wicket haul at the MCG caused a stir in the dressing rooms of Victoria and New South Wales.
With five Test hundreds under his belt, Victoria coach Chris Rogers made a fleeting jest about following David Warner in making a Test return, but he reconsidered after seeing Starc bowl.
On the opening day of the Australian men’s home summer, the murmurs turned into roars. Starc had a field day on yet another quick and lively MCG pitch. Including three maidens, he took 3 for 33 from 10 against Pakistan. On the same field in 2016, he last produced three maidens in an ODI.
He outpaced both openers. He illuminated a tailender’s stumps. It was Starc at the height of his abilities.
Starc remarked, “It’s always nice to find that rhythm I guess at the front end of the summer,” following his Monday player-of-the-match award. “Probably didn’t have that rhythm in the UK tour, with a few moving parts and a bit of sickness getting around the group.”
Despite having a serious physical condition that he has never wanted to talk about, Starc managed to play 10 of 11 games in the ODI World Cup and contribute in the semi-final and final, but he was merely hobbling to the starting line twelve months ago.
Compared to this time last year, when his physical condition severely hampered his preparation, Saturday’s big training session at the MCG showed how much better he is feeling.
He was in full swing in the nets on Saturday. No inhibition was present. The only time he stopped was to talk for a long time about his load up with bowling coach Daniel Vettori and head coach Andrew McDonald. There was no worry or anxiety. All he was doing was expressing an emotion and an internal signal that he desired.
For a quick bowler, it’s a nice spot. Fit, painless and shooting, with only a single idea to consider before launching another rocket.
“I think more physically, coming off a few issues through the World Cup into last summer in comparison to this summer, I sort of feel like the body is in a good space, and felt like I had really good rhythm, and felt really good last week in the Shield game,” Starc stated.
“I’m concentrating on a few technical aspects rather than making any significant changes. However, I believe that the body is in a far healthier state than it was a year ago.
Starc was evasive when asked if he would take a plane to Perth, but he did clarify that he will play the following ODI on Friday in Adelaide.
Both Cummins and Starc are probably going to skip the journey to Perth before going there the following Sunday to get ready for the opening Test match against India.
“I expect to play in Adelaide, and then we’ll go from there,” Starc stated. “This is an opportunity to play golf and prepare for Friday, as there are just a few days between this one and Adelaide. In Perth, Friday and Sunday are two different stories.
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