In an era of placid pitches and monstrous bats, Mitchell Starc‘s exploits in the limited-overs formats are rather extraordinary. After undergoing an ankle surgery which kept him out of action for more than six months, the 26-year old has expressed an eagerness to continue from where he left off in the upcoming Tri-Series featuring Australia, South Africa and West Indies.
Speaking to cricket.com.au, Starc revealed that he was physically and mentally ready to get back on to the field. However, he cautioned that it could take time to recapture the sublime form that had vaulted him to top spot in the ICC ODI rankings for bowlers in the aftermath of the 2015 World Cup.
Looking refreshed after a long break, Starc affirmed, “Coming off the end of the Ashes (2015) and the one-day stuff, I was pretty mentally fatigued and it was nice to have a little break at home through the Matador Cup (Australia’s domestic 50-over tournament).”
He added, “So, having six months off although it was through injury was nice to refresh a little bit and go through what I have to do in terms of cricket and strength wise. It was nice to spend three or four months in the gym to get that strength back that I'd lost over 12 to 18 months of cricket.”
Asserting that the hunger was back, the left-armer felt, “It was nice to get that back, rest the little things that I needed to and make sure the ankle and the foot were 100 per cent right before I started to play cricket again. I think I've ticked all those boxes and that hunger has definitely come back a lot stronger that it was at the end of that Ashes series.”
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When asked about those intriguing statements from his team-mates on facing him in the nets, Starc opined, “I had a lot of net sessions in Sydney and a lot of bowling to empty nets. So, it was nice to come up to Brisbane and bowl to a few batsmen and see how it was all coming along.”
But, he warned, “It might take a couple of games to see where that pace is and see if I can get that back. It doesn't normally happen straight away especially for the quicks. It'll be interesting to gauge where that's at, but its feeling good.”
Regarding the possibility of operating at full tilt again, the paceman hoped, “I've had a few months of bowling under the belt – Starting from a couple of steps to full tilt in Brisbane before the tour. So, it's feeling good and they're coming out pretty nicely."
Australia begin their campaign in the Tri-Series against the hosts West Indies on Sunday at 1700 GMT.
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