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Starc's return to form a World Cup boost

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Expert
4th February, 2019
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Mitchell Starc is the man who can win Australia the 2019 World Cup. Which is why it was so significant for the big quick to return to his searing, menacing best in the second Test against Sri Lanka.

Starc bowled quicker and better than he has since the first Test in South Africa 11 months ago, ending a long form slump by grabbing match figures of 10-100 on a flat pitch in Canberra.

As Australia have steamrolled an injury-hit Sri Lanka 2-0 in these Tests the performances of home players largely have been analysed with an eye on the upcoming Ashes in England.

But it is in the World Cup in the UK in June when Starc will be most pivotal. Australia’s hopes of an Ashes upset will rest more heavily on the ability of Steve Smith and David Warner to churn out runs, Pat Cummins to maintain his relentless form, and Nathan Lyon to again comprehensively outbowl England’s spinners.

Come the World Cup, however, and no single player has the potential to propel Australia with the same force as Starc. The left armer won the Player of the Tournament in 2015 when Australia cruised to yet another World Cup victory – their fourth from the past five editions.

Starc grabbed 22 wickets at 10 in what was one of the greatest-ever performance across a World Cup.

mitchell-starc-australia-cricket-odi-2017

The Australian cricket team. (AAP Image/David Mariuz)

He has played so little ODI cricket of late – just seven matches in the past 19 months – that Starc’s form has waned in the 50-over format as he’s been unable to build form and momentum.

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Now, however, he will have the chance to do just that as Australia have two upcoming five-match ODI series, the first in India starting in four weeks from now, and the next in the UAE against Pakistan from the end of next month.

Tackling India’s elite batting lineup will be a great challenge for Starc, who has an excellent ODI record against that heavyweight team, with 12 wickets at 20 from seven matches. It is, however, almost four years since the last time Starc played an ODI against India.

As Starc has largely been absent from the ODI team over the past two years Australia have used a dozen other quicks. While some have performed admirably – most notably Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Jhye Richardson – none have been able to offer what Starc does. Not one of them possesses the same ability to both wreak havoc with the new ball and to also calmly stymie the opposition in the death overs.

At his best Starc with the new white ball is a nightmare match-up for every single batsman on the planet. Even Virat Kohli, the world’s best ODI batsman, would find the going tough when Starc is swinging the white ball late and with precision at 150kmh.

On his day he is comfortably the most destructive ODI bowler in the world. He’s also physically intimidating. Peak Starc instils fear in opposition batting lineups. He not only takes regular wickets with the new ball but also earns breakthroughs for his bowling partners, who the batsmen try to target due to the comparative difficulty of attacking Starc.

Unlike top ODI teams India, England, South Africa and Pakistan, Australia do not have a strike spin bowler – a tweaker who regularly takes wickets in clumps in the middle overs. This places greater importance on the ability of Australia’s ODI quicks to make the most of the new ball. Starc is Australia’s best bet for doing just that over the next five months.

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After looking bereft of confidence all summer, Starc finally clicked over the past four days against Sri Lanka. It was clear the visiting batsmen were genuinely rattled by the scorching pace at which he was operating. The telltale sign that Starc had found rhythm was that he was hitting 150kmh with ease.

At his fearsome best Starc seems to just glide through the crease, without straining for extra pace, and yet still produces deliveries of startling speed.

That’s what he did in this Test. That’s what he needs to do in India. And that’s what Australia will hope he can do in the World Cup.

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