Australia head coach optimistic for Mitchell Starc’s fitness for final India Test

Australia coach Andrew McDonald on Tuesday said he was optimistic that pace spearhead Mitchell Starc will be fit for the decisive fifth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India.

The hosts pulled off a stunning 184-run win deep into day five of the fourth Test in Melbourne and there is a quick turnaround before the match in Sydney from Friday.

Australia are 2-1 up in the series and will regain the Border-Gavaskar trophy for the first time since 2014-15 if they win or draw the New Year’s Test against India.

Victory would also guarantee them a place in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) final at Lord’s against South Africa.

Mitchell Starc bowled 41 overs in Melbourne but clearly struggled in the latter stages, reportedly with sore ribs.

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McDonald said selectors would wait to see how he is before making any calls.

“We’ll see how the bodies are. Clearly, Starcy’s carrying something of some description. We’ll assess that,” he said. “But other than that it looks as though we got through.”

“But short turnaround, recovery is important and we’ll assess what the team looks like in Sydney based upon the surface, as we always do.”

Andrew McDonald said though it was a good indicator that Mitchell Starc kept bowling in Melbourne.

“It didn’t stop him. Clearly, there was a little bit of discomfort early on in spells but once he got warm, it seemed as though he was pretty free. Ball speeds are good.”

Jhye Richardson and Sean Abbott are the other fast bowlers in the squad, with skipper Pat Cummins and Scott Boland certain to play again.

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