Upon breaching the 100-wicket mark in Tests, Australian pacer Mitchell Starc has expressed delight in recapturing his rhythm after a lengthy injury lay-off. Getting first use of a pitch which could deteriorate with time, the 26-year old picked up a five-wicket haul to help restrict Sri Lanka to 281 in Galle.
Speaking to reporters at the end of the day’s play, he also opened up on forming a potentially dangerous partnership with Josh Hazlewood and emphasized on the importance of reverse-swing.
Starc asserted, “I'm starting to get that consistency back in Test cricket anyway. The first Test here definitely wasn't the best. I've bowled but started to get a bit of rhythm back through there. So, I was pretty happy with how they came out today.”
He added, “I've been really happy with where my body's at physically leading into the triangular series in the West Indies and this Test series. Physically, I think the six-month break I had with my foot and my ankle was really good for me to get some really good time in the gym and build up that strength that I lost probably through the Ashes series and the one-day series there.”
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After losing a vital toss, skipper Steve Smith was banking on his new-ball bowlers to prise out early wickets. Starc responded almost immediately by striking on the very first delivery and returned to knock over the lower-order in the final session of the day.
The left-arm seamer admitted, “Sometimes, it just doesn't swing as much for some guys.Today was finding a different way to take wickets and get the ball reversing. There'll be days where it swings a lot more and other days where it doesn't. But, Joshy (Hazlewood) bowled pretty well with the swinging ball early and then with the reversing ball.”
Excited to operate in tandem with the metronomic bowler, Starc affirmed, “Josh and I really enjoyed bowling with each other in partnerships. He hits a spot and is a genius at doing that, and allowing me to bowl as fast and aggressive as I can from the other end. We work really well together there. So, it's nice to be back and hopefully be around for a lot longer than I have in the past.”
