Australia v New Zealand: Mitchell Starc has no regrets over snubbing IPL mega bucks
Mitchell Starc insists he has no regrets over knocking back a once-in-a-lifetime payday – but says it’s time for Cricket Australia to come to the party with its prized quicks.
Cricket
Don't miss out on the headlines from Cricket. Followed categories will be added to My News.
- Unexpected silver lining to Smith’s Wagner struggles
- Illness strikes Kiwi camp with skipper quarantined
Mitchell Starc has revealed he knocked back several multimillion-dollar offers to return to the IPL for the simple pleasure of family time with his wife.
It’s eye-watering to think what price the premier white ball bowler in world cricket might have commanded given his Australian sparring partner Pat Cummins has just broken international records with his stunning $3.17 million deal.
However, Starc insists he has no regrets in turning his back on a once-in-a-lifetime payday, with the money-can’t-buy chance to spend six months with wife Alyssa Healy more important than pocketing three million dollars.
Watch every single KFC BBL match LIVE & On-Demand on KAYO with FOX CRICKET’s unmatched commentary line-up. New to Kayo? Get your 14-day free trial & start streaming instantly >
Starc and Healy’s relentless schedules as Australian cricketers mean they pass like ships in the night and recently the pair conceded the taxing lifestyle is only becoming harder for them to manage.
A number of Indian Premier League clubs came knocking, but Starc remained steadfast in not registering for the draft – and despite Cummins’ windfall, he has no regrets.
“No not at all. I had plenty of conversations with a few teams. Obviously there’s a few Australian coaches over there and a few guys were hoping I’d put my name in,” Starc told The Daily Telegraph.
“But I’m pretty comfortable with my decision.
“It’s hard enough juggling one cricket schedule. When you’ve got two separate schedules it makes it difficult to see one another for Alyssa and I.
“That was part of it. The other part of it was taking a break.
“There’s a number of things that went into it, but I was happy to stick by my decision and I’m happy with it.”
Starc says the kind of mega dollars being thrown around now by India means the time has come for Cricket Australia to have a proper discussion over a proposal led by the fast bowlers for multi-year central contracts to be considered.
It’s in Australia’s interest to maintain control of their quicks in particular, when there is a greater importance on the blue chip stars to rest their bodies whenever possible rather than risk injury by adding to their workload with more cricket in the IPL.
Cummins was keen on a multi-year contract last year, and the irony is, had he been given one he wouldn’t have put in for the IPL auction.
Test great Glenn McGrath declared yesterday that the current world class fast bowling battery of Cummins, Starc, James Pattinson and Josh Hazlewood is the equal of any attack in Australian Test history.
Cricket Australia’s new high performance boss Ben Oliver is understood to be very open-minded about the prospect of introducing multi-year contracts for some marquee players which would compensate heavy-duty quicks like Starc and Cummins for resting their bodies for national duty rather than entering the freelance market.
“Yeah it’s not for me to decide on. But there’s been suggestions of it, talk about it for a little while now. When you’re throwing up those sort of numbers in the IPL contracts over a six-seven week period, it does make for an interesting conversation,” said Starc.
“Whether that changes or not this year unfortunately it’s out of the players’ hands, it’s up to CA.
“It’s not like an NRL or rugby where you’ve got other options available.
“Playing for Australia (in cricket), you get what you’re given. We’re in a pretty good place as a team at the moment.
“Keep winning games and the rest will take care of itself.”
Australia is now in the envious position where if all fit, one of the world’s best fast bowlers will miss out on the Test side.
Rather than driving competition, Starc says the effect of having cricket’s most feared arsenal has been to inspire every quick to leave nothing on the pitch and not worry about tomorrow.
“Rather than thinking you’re playing five games (in a series), just try and win every game with everything you’ve got,” said Starc. “If you’re a bit tired or sore for the next Test, someone will come in to carry the load.”
Originally published as Australia v New Zealand: Mitchell Starc has no regrets over snubbing IPL mega bucks