Australian pacer Mitchell Starc has set the stage on fire in the warm-up game of the ICC World Cup 2023, taking a hat-trick in the second innings to rattle the top order of the Dutch side at Greenfield International Stadium in Thiruvananthapuram. Starc drew the first blood on the 5th ball of the first over, bowling an inswinger that nipped back in late and trapped Max O’Dowd LBW. He then followed it up with a peach of a delivery on the 6th ball of the over, bowling an inswinger that came in and Wesley Barresi was done by the pace.
The ball went through the gate and hit the top of the off stump to send the batter packing for a golden duck. The fast bowler then completed a hat-trick on the first ball of the third over, bowling a full and fast inswinger at the yorker length. Bas de Leede couldn’t get his bat down on time as the ball went on to hit low into the middle stump.
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Starc’s hat-trick is a warning sign to the other teams in the World Cup, as he is one of the most dangerous bowlers in the world. He will be looking to carry his good form into the tournament and help Australia lift their sixth World Cup title.
Here is the video of the hat-trick from Mitchell Starc:
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Mitchell Starc also played a decent knock with the bat, making a handy contribution of 24 runs off 22 balls to help Australia post a total of 166 runs in the rain-curtailed 23-over match. Steve Smith smashed a staggering half-century, while Cameron Green and Alex Carey also played handy knocks.
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Australia picked up 5 quick wickets with the ball to put the Netherlands under pressure. Apart from Starc, Sean Abbott picked up two wickets. The Pat Cummins-led side will be hot favorites to win the tournament, alongside the hosts India and defending champions England.
