Australia pacer Mitchell Starc believes that Test cricket is “far above” the other formats and to ensure he can continue his red-ball career, he suggested a staggered white-ball retirement.
Even though Australia ultimately prevailed, the margin of victory was insufficient, which enabled England to advance to the semi-finals when they defeated Sri Lanka later in the day. After their World Cup performance, the hosts had to leave the competition, and Starc’s exclusion became a topic of discussion. After getting a four-wicket haul in Australia’s win over England in the second ODI on Saturday, the bowler said he doesn’t think playing three formats is something that he can [continue] for a long period of time moving forward.
Starc will be essential to Australia’s preparations for the 50-over World Cup, which will be held in India the following year. He also hopes to compete in the 2024 World Cup, but these two competitions could put a stop to his desire to participate in the white-ball format because he has already made it clear that he wants to conserve energy for Test cricket.
“Tests always first…far above white-ball [cricket]. I’ll decide on the rest as I go, where my body is at and how I feel about it. I would love to, selection and form pending, continue playing Test cricket as long as I can,” ESPNcricinfo quoted Australia pacer Mitchell Starc as saying.
“It’s certainly impossible at the moment to play every game as a three-format player. We’ve seen that over the last few years, sometimes there are two Australian teams playing at the same time in different continents in different formats. They see a break and put a series on. I think having those periods of time to rest may help me keep bowling at decent speeds for a period of time. I don’t think playing three formats is something I can [continue] for a long period of time moving forward now,” Starc added.
Many believe that Starc’s decision to skip the IPL has impeded his development as a T20 bowler. But he doesn’t regret it because the relaxation and break have greatly improved his performance in Test cricket, which is still his top goal.
“It may have [hampered T20 bowling] but if I’d gone there, having no break and playing 12 months of the year, what does that affect? Do I break down? Does it affect my red-ball cricket? You can’t just sit there and go ‘he should go to the IPL’ because he’d be a better T20 bowler. What’s the downside of that? Do I give away a format of the game because I’m playing 12 months of the year? In my mind, I don’t regret any of those decisions not to go. I wouldn’t change it,” said the Australian pacer.
“I feel like particularly last year if I take my Test cricket from the last 12-18 months, and how that’s benefited from the break that I’ve had through IPL periods, that’s paid for itself I guess. It’s always been my decision, and that is part of the reason that I do it, to give myself that break physically and mentally. And the other side of it is to see and spend time with my wife [Alyssa Healy] away from cricket. It’s hard enough juggling one cricket schedule, let alone two,” he added.