Mitchell Starc’s return will strike fear into the West Indies and South African batsmen in next month’s one-day tri-series in the Caribbean, skipper Steve Smith said yesterday.
Left-arm paceman Starc, 26, has been out of action since fracturing his foot in last November’s historic day-night Test in Adelaide against New Zealand and undergoing ankle surgery.
Starc’s fitness boosts the Australian pace attack which also features Josh Hazlewood, Nathan Coulter-Nile and Scott Boland for the ODI tri-series where each team play three matches against each other, with the top two advancing to the final on June 26 in Barbados.
“It’s nice to have Mitchell Starc back bowling the way he is,” Smith told reporters before the team’s departure. “He’s looking fresh and bowling at good pace. Hopefully, some of the South African and West Indies batsmen are a little bit scared at the moment. It’s exciting to have him back and hopefully he can have some success straight away, or pick up where he left off.”
Starc has been charging in off his full run-up and bowling with impressive pace at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane over the past few days in preparation for the West Indies trip.
Wicketkeeper-batsman Matthew Wade was struck a painful blow in the stomach from Starc in the nets yesterday.
Smith, who came home from the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) early with injury, said he was fit to take his place on the tour. Mitchell Marsh and Glenn Maxwell, who both suffered from side strains in India, are also expected to be OK for the tri-series opener against the West Indies in Guyana on June 5.
“I think they’re both going to be right to go,” Smith said. “Maxy’s had a chance to recover and I think he’ll be fine for the first game. We’ll wait until we get over there and the medical staff can assess him then but I think he’s tracking really well. Mitch Marsh has been getting through his loads up here this week, he’s been bowling well and batting well.”
Smith dispelled concerns about his fitness, saying he had fully recovered from the wrist injury that cut short his IPL season earlier this month.
“It’s coming along good, it was nice to rest it for a couple of weeks and not pick up a bat or catch any balls. It’s done it the world of good,” he said.
Justin Langer, the former Test opener and current coach of Western Australia, will stand in as head coach in place of Darren Lehmann, who has been given an extended break from touring after suffering from deep-vein thrombosis earlier this year.
Smith further said he has no qualms about playing another day-night Test at Adelaide Oval but is wary of how the pink ball will perform in the humid conditions expected at Brisbane later this year.
Australia play Pakistan in the first Test under lights at the Gabba on December 15, despite warnings from former players and pundits that muggy conditions could make the ball unplayable for batsmen.
In the inaugural day-night match against New Zealand in drier Adelaide conditions last year, the ball hooped around menacingly during the floodlit late sessions and Australia won in three days.
Cricket Australia (CA) hopes to schedule another Test against South Africa at Adelaide Oval in November but the Proteas have balked at the prospect, citing a lack of experience with the pink ball.
“I think it worked well, the one Test at the Adelaide Oval,” Smith said. “I personally believe that’s the best place to play a day-night test match but we’ve got the one at the Gabba this year so it will be interesting to see how that goes. It’s just a little bit different with the ball and humidity that quite often is around in Brisbane, so it could be very difficult for the batters, particularly if there’s grass left on the wicket.”
Fears that the pink ball might not last the required 80 overs in Test cricket saw a grassy pitch prepared for the Adelaide match, making the task much harder for batsmen. “I think we still need plenty of development with the ball to make sure that we don’t prepare a wicket that suits the ball with plenty of grass on it,” Smith added.
South Africa captain AB de Villiers said last month that his team had misgivings about playing the day-night Test after getting feedback from Smith and some other Australian players. Although Smith responded by backing CA’s campaign for the Adelaide match, he was less enthused about playing a personal role in talking South Africa around.
“I guess we could have conversations about it with some of the senior players in South Africa but in the end it’s up to both boards what they want to do in regards to the game,” he said.
Australia squad: Steve Smith (capt), David Warner, George Bailey, Scott Boland, Nathan Coulter-Nile, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, Adam Zampa