Starc says Australia's bowling attack is prepared for all conditions
Starc said that his team-mates are capable enough to adapt to any playing condition.
LONDON (Agencies) - Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc reckons that the versatility in his team s bowling attack, which gives plenty of options to choose from, makes it prepared for all conditions.
Australia took only 52.3 overs to bundle out England in the second innings of the first Test at Edgbaston, en route to a thumping 251-run win and the series lead. The depth in their bowling attack and the quality of bench strength could be underlined by the fact that Starc and Josh Hazlewood, two of their front-line bowlers, who had collectively taken 43 wickets in Australia s 4-0 Ashes triumph at home in 2017-18, were overlooked for James Pattinson and Peter Siddle.
Starc said that the differences in approach and the vast array of skills possessed by his team-mates make them capable enough to adapt to any playing condition.
"We ve got a couple of a bit more aggressive guys, a couple of holders there that build pressure and take wickets that way and a couple of guys that are probably a hybrid of both." the Sydney-born pacer said. "We’re quite a well-rounded attack, and then you throw in Nathan Lyon, who just knows how to get it done in all conditions.
"We re prepared for all conditions, whether it be flat, green, seaming, swinging, slow, fast. It s exciting to have everyone up and firing and plenty to choose from."
Pattinson and Siddle, both making a comeback to Australia s Test squad after a while (2016 and 2018 respectively), bagged two wickets each in the first innings and maintained their accuracy in the second, as Lyon and Cummins dominated. Starc praised the duo, adding that their strong performances make him and Hazlewood work harder to make the XI.
"It’s awesome to see Jimmy (Pattinson) back after what he’s been through, and I guess, similarly, what Pat Cummins has been through previously," Starc said. "It’s a while ago now, but to have those guys back fit and firing, it was fantastic to see him (Pattinson) playing Test cricket again. Having his body let him down and to come back and play Test cricket again was pretty special. He’s someone who Josh and I have grown up playing with and against, it was great to see him out there."
" Sidds has done the hard work and made it back. I think that’s really exciting from a bowling point of view, that we’re all a really close set of mates. To see your mates work it back and pull on the Baggy Green again and perform so well in the Test match, that’s exciting for us.
"It makes Josh and I have to work that bit harder to try and make it back as well, which I think you want from a whole squad."
Starc, who finished as the leading wicket-taker at the ICC Men s Cricket World Cup 2019, with 27 scalps to his name, is expected to feature in the second Test, beginning at Lord s on 14 August. The left-arm pacer bagged nine wickets in the two matches he played at the venue during the World Cup, accounting for some big names, such as Joe Root and Kane Williamson.
For Australia s senior paceman though, the goal to win the Ashes lies ahead of personal success.
"We’re not just here to make it on the park. We want to win this Ashes," he said. "Whether that’s a different bowling attack each game, or the same through five Test matches, it’s pretty exciting."
