Australia’s bowling spearhead, Mitchell Starc reckons that the senior Australian bowlers must step up to help captain Tim Paine lead an inexperienced team during their next tour against Pakistan. Australia head to the UAE for a Test series slated for October without two of their most experienced campaigners, with former captain Steve Smith and his deputy David Warner suspended after the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal.

talking about the upcoming tour, the pacer said, “It’s obviously a younger team and there are some changing faces. I guess as someone who’s been around for a bit longer than some of the other guys, along with Josh and probably Pat as well now … (it’s time) for us to step up a little bit in those senior ranks and maybe have a little bit more of a voice along with Painey there and help him along.”

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Paine led a depleted Australia team to a stinging 5-0 whitewash in an ODI series in England in June and promptly cast doubt on his future captaincy of the limited overs side. Starc, who with fellow quicks Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins missed that series due to injuries, said he was on track to be fit for the UAE tour after months of rehab for the injury which sidelined him since March.

Talking about the recovery schedules of Hazlewood and Cummins, who were both sidelined with back injuries. Starc said, “They’re a little bit behind me I think. If all is going well with them they might start bowling this week … I’m a little bit ahead. Hopefully, all three of us are on the plane to the UAE.”

The UAE tour will precede a four-match Test series against India on home soil starting in December, which will be followed by two Tests against Sri Lanka.

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Starc concluded by talking about the India series, he said, “It’s going to be a tough tour of the UAE but obviously an important one for a young and changing team. Hopefully, we springboard off that and into the summer.”