Inclusion of Mitchell Starc: In the first Test of the Ashes 2023, Australia survived a rare scare and they were ushered out of a jeopardy by a late show from Pat Cummins. However, somehow it felt as if their fast bowling quartet was running short of steam in the first innings. It was another masterclass from Nathan Lyon that got them sailing through. The second innings though things did change around.
It was Pat Cummins who would bag four wickets while Nathan Lyon claimed another four. The rest of the big names in the Australian side who are so famed to get themselves up and running in the English conditions were stuck in a rut and despite all the tugs, they were simply not able to come out. The following Test is going to be at the Lord’s where the ball moves around as if it has jet attached to its tail and both the sides would be hoping to ride on that early movement, especially with the new ball.
When it comes to movement, if there is one name that Australia would love fall back to and that is of Mitchell Starc. Dropped in the first match, he has to be in the scheme of things when Australia takes the yard and here are three reasons why.
#1 The king of swing
If you would remember the 2017 Ashes and the wicket of James Vince, that is exactly how deadly Mitchell Starc is. He moves the ball around at will and particularly if you are handing over the new ball to him, he makes the ball talk. More importantly, all of this happens at a nasty oace of at least around 142 to 145 kays, speed that would make a batter giddy.
#2 Strike bowler
Australia had a bit of a challenge in trying to squash the English resistance in both the innings. This is exactly where Starc comes in. He is a strike bowler and loves to break partnerships. If you introduce him to the tail, he would devour them before you would know and continue chipping away at the wickets unless the job is done.
#3 Induces the sharpness to the fast-bowling mafia
Considering his lanky stature, Mitchell Starc can really be the terrorizer that the batters hate to pick on. You have to be accurate with your shot selections if you would like to keep Starc at bay. Or else, he would kill you and leave you reeling in agony. He is that edge that the Australian bowlers need to finish things off.
