Kolkata Knight Riders’ fast bowler, Mitchell Starc, shrugged off criticisms regarding his IPL 2024 performance, emphasizing his focus on the game rather than external opinions. Starc’s impactful performance against Lucknow at the Eden Gardens, where he clinched 3 crucial wickets for 28 runs, marked a significant turnaround.
Despite a slow start to the season, Starc’s pivotal final-over contributions restricted Lucknow Super Giants to a modest 161 for 7, ultimately contributing to KKR’s emphatic victory with eight wickets to spare. Reflecting on his form, Mitchell Starc maintained a composed stance, unaffected by external commentary.
“I don’t read anything so that doesn’t bother me. I haven’t played a lot of T20 cricket in the last couple of years, so it’s probably taken me a little bit longer than I would have liked to get back into the rhythm of things and make a better impact. So today was nice in that regard,” Mitchell Starc commented post-match.
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Addressing concerns about workload management, particularly transitioning from Test cricket to T20, Mitchell Starc underscored his familiarity with managing physical demands. Having recently participated in the Ashes and the World Cup, Starc, at 34, asserted his readiness for the challenges of T20 cricket.
“I don’t read anything so that doesn’t bother me.” – Mitchell Starc on criticism for his performances after being the most expensive player in IPL history.
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“I’m 34, so I’m pretty good with my workloads. I’ve been doing this a long time, so that’s fine. It’s T20 cricket. For the guys that play a lot of Test cricket, this is certainly a lot easier physically. It’s probably more getting used to the tactical side of it,” he explained.
Looking ahead, Starc emphasized the rapid pace of T20 cricket, stressing the need for immediate focus on the next game. With KKR’s next encounter against Rajasthan on Tuesday at Eden Gardens, Starc highlighted the team’s collective momentum and readiness for upcoming challenges.
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“We play again on Tuesday, and I think that’s a feature of T20 cricket, whether you have a good day or bad day. You quickly focus on the next game. So far, we’ve started the season quite well as a group, and now we move on to Tuesday,” he concluded.
