BIRMINGHAM: Left-arm speedster Mitchell Starc has been left out of Australia’s Playing XI for the first Ashes Test against England.
Mitchell Starc, who went for aplenty in the World Test Championship (WTC) Final against India at the Oval lost his spot to right-arm pacer Josh Hazlewood, who returned to the side after recovering from Achilles and side issue.
As the much-anticipated Ashes begin on Friday after the hosts England opted to bat first in the first Test, Australia’s Test captain Pat Cummings shared his team’s lineup which did not feature Starc.
Notably, the struggling Indian batting lineup targeted out-of-form Mitchell Starc and scored more than five runs per over against him.
The left-arm-pacer leaked 71 runs in his 13.4 overs and took two wickets in the first innings while he was slightly more expensive in the second innings as he conceded 77 runs in 14 overs and took as many wickets.
Despite his below-par performance in the WTC Final, Australia coach Andrew McDonald said Mitchell Starc’s tendency to leak runs is no concern for the Ashes, with his wicket-taking ability crucial to team balance.
“There’s always a balance of attack,” Australia coach Andrew McDonald said.
“Most our bowlers went at above what they’d usually go and we’ve just got to get our heads around that the tempo will be slightly different.
“We’re a team that usually goes at that high two runs per over, here we could go at four runs an over.
“Mitch went at a bit more than that and (what) he generally goes at, but they complement each other really, really well.
“His wicket-taking ability is second-to-none. We’ve got to weigh all that up when we make decisions.”
The five-Test Ashes series will kickstart the World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle that is set to include 68 matches scheduled across 27 series and the third WTC Final to be played at Lord’s in 2025.
Australia might still be revelling in their triumph over India in the ICC World Test Championship Final 2023 but will have to quickly shift their focus to the next WTC cycle that starts with a clash against arch-rivals England.
England have developed a force to be reckoned with in Tests since Ben Stokes and Brandon McCullum took the reigns of the side as they won 11 out of 13 matches.
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