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Mitchell Starc is one of the best, if not the best one-day bowler in the world and it has nothing to do with Shane Warne.
Some people are suggesting Warnie’s magical motivational words somehow transformed Starc from an average Test bowler into a World Cup juggernaut.
But of course as most of us know, and as Geoff Lemon recently pointed out, Starc has been a really good ODI bowler for quite sometime. The challenge for him is to try and transfer that one-day form into the Test arena.
It’s hard to pinpoint exactly why he’s excelled at ODIs and not in the longer version. It could be that he finds the white ball easier to swing, prefers shorter spells or maybe he just hasn’t been given a long enough run in the side.
Whatever the reasons, Mitchell Starc is too good and too talented not to figure it out.
Luckily Australia hasn’t really needed him at Test level in recent times, but the same can’t be said for this World Cup. Other than when they played the minnow nations no Australian bowler – besides Starc – has threatened the opposition during the group stage.
Heading into the knockout phase of the tournament the Aussies can’t afford to be so reliant on one man. At some stage the rest of the bowling unit will need to step up if they want to win back the trophy.
That includes Mitchell Johnson, who just hasn’t looked himself all summer. His pace is well down and he’s lacking that usual venom. Everyone assumed the spell on the sidelines he had prior to the World Cup would freshen him up and return him to the fierce Johnson of last season. So far though, that hasn’t happened.
Nothing in cricket excites me more than watching a menacing Johnson terrorise the opposition batsmen, but all summer long I’ve been pessimistically wondering whether Johnson’s best has passed him by.
I’m certainly not ready to write him off just yet (although I’ve been guilty of that once or twice during his career) but his form is still a bit of a worry.
So far during the World Cup Johnson has looked particularly vulnerable bowling during the opening 10 overs of the innings – otherwise referred to as the bowling power-play.
In his last two starts against meaningful opposition – in bowling power-play situations – his figures are 1-34 off three overs against Sri Lanka and 0-54 in four overs against the Kiwis. This wouldn’t be as much of a concern if Pat Cummins was bowling well during the same power-play, but he’s also been struggling.
Cummins and Johnson are very similar bowlers. It sounds strange considering one’s a left-armer and the other a right-armer, but in reality they are. They both have unique actions, are ultra aggressive and can also leak runs.
Unfortunately I don’t think the Aussies can afford to play both quicks in the same side. Considering Starc is also a very attacking bowler – although economically – surely Josh Hazlewood would be the perfect foil for such aggression?
An opening combination of Starc and Hazlewood with Johnson at first change feels like a better balance. In this scenario there’s still two ultra-aggressive wicket takers in Johnson and Starc, while Hazlewood keeps it tight at his end. James Faulkner can do what he does best and bowl the majority of his overs during the batting power-play and at the death.
While Pat Cummins might be a better bowler at the death, Josh Hazlewood’s control at the start of the innings could prove to be invaluable. Although he lacks the fire-power of Cummins, he’d be a better fit in this particular line-up.
Then again Hazlewood might not even be needed if Mitchell Starc continues to put the team on his back and carries them to World Cup glory.
But if all else fails, the Aussies can always just call up Warnie for some more magical motivational words.
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