Veteran Australian pace bowler Mitchell Starc has stolen the show with a fiery spell in Jamaica. Still, he said that the Test match felt uncomfortable for him, though certainly not when he had the ball in hand, as per ESPNcricinfo. However, Starc claimed a triple-wicket opening over, reached the 400-wicket milestone, and picked up his career-best figures with the pink ball, 6/9.
“It’s certainly been uncomfortable throughout the week,” he said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo. “I was happy just to have a win and sing the song. It’s certainly been a special week to play, to wear the baggy green. It’s been one I’ll cherish for a long time.”
However, the game finished very quickly as Starc and Scott Boland (who took a hat-trick) dismantled the batting attack.
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“(It’s) probably a win against the conditions in the fact that we only bowled ten (nine) overs under lights,” Starc said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo. “I think everyone today with the ball was pretty spot on. I don’t think anyone thought it was going to happen that quickly. We were talking about almost consolidating the scoreboard until we got closer to that night session.”
“It wasn’t a plan to drag it out. (But) if things weren’t happening straight away, we knew that things would happen quicker in the night session. (It was like) this is what we want to do at the start, but if it doesn’t happen straight away, let’s just chill out and stop the scoreboard and cash in at night. Didn’t need to,” he again said.
Mitchell Starc’s figures in these four-match Test series, starting from the World Test Championship (WTC) final, are a whopping 20 wickets, which came at an average of 16.45. His 6/9 is now better than his previous best of 6/48 against India in Adelaide.
“I felt like my rhythm has been pretty good for a while now,” he said, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo. “Even coming into the lead up to Lord’s, I felt like everything was clicking into place. It’s been nice to have that carry on throughout the series. Today, again, just felt like everything was in sync and got some late swing. I think perhaps the breeze might have helped in the fact that I wasn’t under lights.”
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Meanwhile, Australia captain Pat Cummins wasn’t needed to bowl in the fourth innings either, as it was only the second time he was fit but didn’t bowl.
“I think a lot of the chat leading into this week is how resilient you need to be and professional to make it 100 Tests,” Cummins said of Starc, as quoted from ESPNcricinfo. “(But) I think that’s kind of the Starcy I always remember playing alongside. He can tear a game open by himself really in the matter of a couple of overs. It feels like he can do it in any format, any time.”
