Australia v New Zealand first Test: Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc combine to skittle Black Caps
MITCHELL Starc is adamant he and Mitchell Johnson have dispelled doubts over their ability to fire as a unit after the pair sparked a crippling Kiwi collapse.
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MITCHELL Starc is adamant he and Mitchell Johnson have dispelled doubts over their ability to fire as co-leaders of the Australian attack once and for all, after sparking a crippling New Zealand collapse on day two at the Gabba.
Steve Smith banished misfiring quick Starc from the attack for 22 overs before the reborn spearhead returned to deliver for his captain in blistering combination with an equally fired-up Johnson.
Questions over whether the two left-arm Mitchells can work in the same Australian attack were raised again after a sloppy start, before Starc and Johnson showcased the potential of their lethal one-two combination to tear the hearts out of the Black Caps’ top order.
New Zealand lost 4-16 in a crippling 28-ball, 20-minute blitzkrieg and at stumps were reeling at five down and 399 runs in arrears, with extreme doubt over whether pace leader Tim Southee will be back for the second innings.
Starc revealed he and Johnson made a pre-Test pact to prove critics wrong who have questioned whether the attacking duo are too similar to thrive together.
“’The fact that we were probably written off a little bit to bowl together again in a Test match again probably fired us up a bit,” said Starc.
“To prove a few people wrong and bowl in that partnership together was great for us.
“To watch Mitchy bowl aggressive, fast, in-your-face stuff was great from one end.
“To claw it back in that last session and to create a lot of pressure with fast bowling partnerships was great.”
In a repeat of the World Cup final, Black Caps captain Brendon McCullum came and went in a flash, heaping all the pressure on young star Kane Williamson (55no) to rescue the visitors from their dire predicament at 5-157 – still 199 from avoiding the follow-on mark.
LISTEN: Ben Horne and Ben Dorries review day two at the Gabba
Starc (2-30) and Johnson (2-52) failed to gel throughout the dismal Ashes campaign and alarm bells were ringing again at the Gabba as the Black Caps rallied to 56 without loss in response to Australia’s 4(dec)-556.
The scene was set for Starc to finally exorcise his demons at Test level after dominating the start of the domestic season with unplayable ferocity, while Johnson’s Shield spell in Hobart last week, described by teammates as the fastest they’d ever seen, suggested a renaissance for the 34-year-old.
However, the hook went out for an underwhelming Johnson after just two overs and when an inaccurate Starc was taken out of the attack after a five-over offering of 0-19 – Smith made sure the message of ‘that’s unacceptable’ well and truly sunk in.
It wasn’t until the 31st over that Starc was given a second chance, and to his credit, the 25-year-old grabbed it with both hands, striking out opener Tom Latham (47) with his very first delivery.
Starc’s breakthrough inspired his veteran comrade and sparked an avalanche, as Johnson charged in with renewed vigour to nick off Ross Taylor and then danger man Brendon McCullum within six balls.
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When all-rounder James Neesham had his stumps sprayed by Starc, the summer of Mitchell was officially in full swing, capping off an important comeback from a bowler whose inconsistency at Test level has plagued him since his debut against New Zealand in Brisbane four years ago.
“I didn’t think too much about it really,” Starc said of his first-spell struggles.
“ We were (guilty) of over-attacking a little bit, which you can afford to do a little bit with 550 on the board … but I definitely over-attacked a little bit too much. So personally and as a group we bowled really well after tea and saw results there with five wickets.”
It was the right-armer Josh Hazlewood (1-33) who deserved much of the credit.
As his fellow quicks bumbled their way through, Hazlewood was consistent and ever-threatening and it was a beautiful delivery that saw Martin Guptill edging and caught brilliantly by David Warner at third slip to lay the groundwork for the lefties to continue the job.
It was a pleasing return to the Test arena for Hazlewood, who despite his outstanding overall record, was dropped for the final match of the Ashes series following a mediocre series.
Hazlewood largely paid the price for Starc and Johnson’s inability to hit their mark, although all three had their work cut out thanks to the incompetent performances of the batsmen – who were putting totals of 136 and 60 on the board.
There were no excuses for the bowlers yesterday though, as Usman Khawaja finished his sensational return with 174 and Adam Voges hit his straps with an unbeaten 83 to cap off a powerful Australian batting performance anchored by three 150-run partnerships.
New Zealand were in enough strife as it was without key quick Southee being forced to leave the field with a disc problem in his back after just one hour of play with the prospect he could miss the rest of the match, if not the series.
By the end of the day the Black Caps had called in back-up bowler Neil Wagner to their squad to cover for Southee who looked in extreme discomfort.
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