The Roar
The Roar

Advertisement

Playing unfit Starc was a big mistake

4th January, 2018
Advertisement
Mitch Starc. (AAP Image/Dave Hunt)
Expert
4th January, 2018
59
2089 Reads

Australia and England played out an even day of Ashes cricket at the SCG yesterday but it was the sight of Australian quick Mitchell Starc hobbling around the field which left the strongest imprint on me.

In the 44th over at the SCG yesterday, Starc bowled consecutive deliveries at just 125kmh.

Rarely does Starc’s pace dip as low as 135kmh – even his warm-up balls typically are in the low 140s.

So it was extraordinary to see Test cricket’s fastest bowler operating at the same gentle speeds in the mid-120s reached by the likes of David Warner and wicketkeeper-cum-medium-pacer Matthew Wade.

Starc was still striding towards the crease fairly fluidly, it was after that his intensity dissipated. The left armer was half-hearted in his delivery stride, seemingly concerned about his bruised heel, which kept him out of the fourth Test.

As a result he was not accelerating through the crease and appeared to be relying on his left shoulder for power rather than generating it from the synergy of his entire frame.

Such imbalance in an action cannot be good for your body, surely increasing the strain on certain muscles or joints.

I winced as I watched him labour through the day. It would not have surprised me if he had suddenly broken down with a fresh injury. By day’s end there were no reports of any new concerns about Starc’s health.

Advertisement

It was clear, though, that his heel was not in good shape as he repeatedly stopped short in his follow through and screwed up his face in apparent discomfort.

Mitchell Starc

(AAP Image/Dave Hunt)

This was a gobsmacking scene, to watch one of the world’s most valuable cricketers bowling through a debilitating injury for no good reason. The Ashes were already secured.

The difference is minimal between winning the series 4-0 or 3-1 and Australia had no shortage of bowlers to play in place of Starc.

It always seemed like a risk to rush him back for this fifth Test and now it’s been exposed as a thoroughly unwise decision. No doubt the paceman wanted to play in this match in front of his home crowd. He had voiced his disappointment about missing the Boxing Day Test and his keenness to return for the final match.

Surely, though, when you’re playing a dead rubber you should exercise extreme caution with your most irreplaceable bowler. At the MCG we got an insight into the value of Starc. Without him, Australia’s attack looked a weak imitation of its former supreme self.

Why, oh why then would you gamble on his fitness in a largely meaningless Test? In AFL terms, it’s akin to Richmond risking Brownlow medallist Dustin Martin in a pre-season game when he’s got a dodgy hamstring.

Advertisement

Australia’s next Test tour, which starts next month, is a blockbuster affair against the strongest line-up in Test cricket.

Australia will travel to South Africa to face one of the greatest pace units ever assembled – Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada and Morne Morkel. Not to mention the fact the Proteas also boast five world-class Test batsmen in AB de Villiers, Hashim Amla, Faf du Plessis, Quentin de Kock and Dean Elgar.

It is a monumental challenge for Australia. Regardless of their great record in South Africa, they will enter that series as major underdogs.

If they’re missing Starc, forget about it. Which is why it was so insane to see Starc hobbling around the SCG yesterday risking his health in a dead rubber Test.

close