You wonder if Australian cricket has ever fathomed the real value of Mitchell Starc in Test cricket. If he has ever got his complete due. Or for that matter, if the impact he’s had for Australia with the ball in the longest format over the last dozen or so years be acknowledged the way it deserves to be.
The numbers are already there. Starc has played more Tests for Australia than any fast bowler except Glenn McGrath. Starc has taken more Test wickets for Australia than any fast bowler except Dennis Lillee and Glenn McGrath. And as it stands, Starc is only 68.1 overs away from having bowled the most balls for Australia than any fast bowler except Craig McDermott, Dennis Lillee and Glenn McGrath.
Yet, for a lot of people, Starc strangely still remains a nearly man. Someone who’s never quite reached his potential. Someone who’s still trying his best to reach a level that they think he should have got to already. Someone who’s always divided opinions as to how good he really is.
Starc has been very excellent for a very long time and has only gotten better in the past two years. In addition to being the finest bowler for Australia in this Ashes series. In this case, you must also consider factors besides the figures. His periods, particularly away from home, have turned around matches. There was the masterclass in Lahore that turned the third Test in Australia’s favor and ultimately set the stage for victory. There was the fleeting period in Indore in which he dismissed Shreyas Iyer to turn the game in his team’s favor. Over the past month and a half, he has repeatedly given his team the initiative in a series where it has been difficult for either team to maintain the upper hand for an extended period of time.
On Day 3, early in the morning, he dismissed Ben Stokes with his third delivery, a delivery similar to the one he used to remove the England captain’s off-stump on Thursday (July 27) at The Oval. Cameron Green at fourth slide was able to catch the left-handed batter, who has a propensity to bring his bat down at a wide angle, due to the left-handed batter’s late out-swing. It is also possible that, should Australia go on to win the series, this wicket may have set them on the path to victory.
In the early stages of the second innings, he dismissed Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope with another delivery worthy of a highlight reel, a magnificent in-swinging yorker. The four-over charge-in on the first afternoon of the fifth Test, with England leading, could have provided Australia with the opportunity to finally close the door on the English Bazballers.
It included the miraculous ball to Stokes, which he downplayed later in the day by stating, ‘It swung and struck the top of the offside. “That’s all” The larger wicket, however, was the one that followed, when he got the wobble-seam delivery to plot slightly broader of Harry Brook, who had played one of the series’ innings, and jagged away from the right-hander to have him nick to Steve Smith at second slip. Pat Cummins won the toss and elected to bat, but it was his powerplay in the middle session that provided Australia with the opportunity to dominate the match that they so urgently desired.
The fact that he bowled that spell after leaving the field and aggravating his shoulder injury is further evidence that Mitchell Starc, the Test bowler, deserves far more praise than he currently receives.
It was the umpteenth time this year that he had endured excruciating agony to sacrifice his body for his country. Consider his spell at the SCG with a finger that continued to hemorrhage due to a ruptured tendon. Consider the times he played with a cramping hamstring or how he was able to return to action after suffering shoulder injuries twice at Old Trafford last week.
In addition to praising his pain threshold, captain Cummins lauded his performance prior to this Test. It is also a testament to his dedication to the cause of winning Test matches for Australia, which has been an integral part of his voyage despite the largely unwarranted criticism he has received throughout his career. In order to prioritize his family and his ambition to play Test cricket for his country, he has sacrificed potentially lucrative IPL contracts for over six years.
The number of times he’s been left out of a playing XI and the number of times he’s made a comeback may be one of the reasons why contextualizing Starc’s career has been difficult for many. It is also likely the reason why his contributions have been largely undervalued in the long term. In fact, he has played in 82 of the 124 Tests Australia has played since his debut. Some of the matches he’s missed have been due to injury, mostly due to the natural succession of fast bowlers, but he’s also been the first man to have his position questioned whenever Australia’s performance has been subpar.
However, Mitchell Starc’s exceptional performances in this Ashes series serve as a reminder that those in the Australian cricket community, and not the players themselves, must do more to recognize him as a Test sensation.
