He might have battled injury concerns ahead of the World Cup, but Mitchell Starc, Australia’s pace spearhead, has been unrelenting with the ball in their campaign so far, and has ruled out the option of taking a break in the middle of the tournament.
“If I’m fit I’d like to play all the games,” Starc said, ahead of his team’s clash against Bangladesh on June 20. “It’s not up to me but it’s the World Cup. I think you’ve got to play your best XI, depending on conditions and the team we play. I definitely won’t be putting my hand up to rest.”
Fitness-wise, Starc has done well to recuperate in time for Australia’s title defence, having played no ODIs this year before their first World Cup 2019 game. He missed Australia’s limited-overs tour of India, in February, due to a pectoral tear, and did not feature in the 2019 IPL. He returned in time for the marquee tournament, and has been in peak form since, crediting a simplified approach for his white-ball exploits.
“Test cricket is still the pinnacle for me but the fact I’ve kept it pretty simple in terms of my gameplay for white-ball cricket has held me in good stead through World Cups.”
