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Australian quick Mitchell Starc says struggling batsman Nic Maddinson deserves to hold his spot for the Boxing Day Test.
Maddinson is under pressure to retain his place at No.6 after selectors brought uncapped allrounder Hilton Cartwright into the 13-man Test squad to face Pakistan.
The 25-year-old Maddinson has scored a duck, one and four in his first two matches in the baggy green.
But Starc says his NSW teammate should be given another chance to prove himself with Australia up 1-0 in the series.
“I definitely think Maddo should get another chance,” Starc said on Friday.
“In the end, it’s up to the selectors but I think continued cricket, definitely at this level, can only help him.
“It’d be a great opportunity for him on Boxing Day after we’ve had a couple of good wins as a unit as well (and) it’d be nice to stick together.”
Starc said Maddinson would benefit from the kind of continuity he himself had been denied early in his career.
The pace spearhead made his Test debut against New Zealand in December 2011 but did not truly cement his spot in the side until the beginning of last year.
“I’ve been, in a way I guess, in a similar position where I’ve been in and out quite often through the start of my career,” Starc said.
“There were some times where I was I backed more and given more of a chance, and (with) a longer run of cricket, I guess my performances started to pick up and I got that consistency in my game.”
Despite saying he didn’t expect any of Australia’s pace brigade to bowl in the nets on Friday, Starc shrugged off concerns about the heavy workload the quicks were forced to shoulder during the Brisbane Test.
Pakistan’s stubborn fourth-innings comeback, aided by a pink Kookaburra which tends to soften quicker than the red ball, meant Starc and Josh Hazlewood each bowled 56 overs for the match, while Jackson Bird bowled 45.
It was far from ideal for Starc, who required surgery on a deep leg wound after a freak training accident in September, but the 26-year-old said he was in good condition.
“I think the last ball I bowled in that Test match, which was in the 56th over, was 149 clicks (km/h) so (there’s) no issues on my end,” he said.
“You’d have to ask the other quicks if they’re any different, but I think the Boxing Day Test just gets everyone up and ready to go.
“From what I’ve seen around the guys the last day-and-a-half, everyone’s feeling pretty good (and) recovered really well … there’s no reason why anyone would be missing out through injury or rest, as far as I know.”
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