Mitchell Starc ramps up effort to return for Ashes finale at Sydney Cricket Ground
AUSTRALIAN fast bowling spearhead Mitchell Starc has taken his biggest step in a bid to play the fifth Ashes Test. But there was one big name missing from training. SCG PICS
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MITCHELL Starc hit the nets like a man ready to end England’s New Year’s celebrations in a heartbeat, but Australia are still weighing up the high stakes involved in unleashing their prized spearhead at the SCG.
In a stunning sight, Steve Smith sat out a training session for possibly the first time since taking over the captaincy, but the Australian captain’s stiff back has him in no doubt for a Test where he could join Sir Donald Bradman in Ashes folklore for most hundreds in a series.
However, the decision to give Starc a home Test match in Sydney is not so simple and selectors must be convinced that playing the left-armer would not jeopardise his place – or preparation – for the critical tour of South Africa in March.
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Early signs are the SCG surface has a healthy covering of grass, but Starc’s status remains uncertain, with Jackson Bird waiting in the wings.
Bowling off his long-run for more than half an hour, Starc certainly bowled like a man adamant he is right to go, as he tore in with bouncers and yorkers amid seemingly positive interactions with medical staff.
Smith will normally hit balls from the moment the team bus arrives to when it leaves, but he was conspicuous in his absence – although he is set to bat in the nets on Wednesday.
Fast bowling legend Glenn McGrath – on deck for the 10-year anniversary of the Pink Test – said he understands why the decision is weighing heavily on selectors and admits he would likely err on the side of caution if Starc isn’t 100 per cent fit.
“As a player you want to play every game, you really only think about the next game and do whatever you can to get through it,” said McGrath.
“(But) when you’ve got important series (like) South Africa coming up, Australia have won this series here, he’s such an integral part of the Australian line-up.
“I think they missed him in Melbourne more so bowling to the tail, because the pace and the lengths he bowls he can clean up a tail pretty quickly. You want him playing but you want him at 100 per cent and you want to make sure next series he’s ready to go at 100 per cent.
“If Starcy’s not 100 per cent I’d be tempted to rest him, unfortunately for the Sydney public.
“They want to see him performing on his home ground and he wants to be out there as well, but you’ve got to think ‘ok, South Africa’s important’, so we’ll wait and see.”
Pat Cummins hopes selectors allow the fast bowling cartel to finish what they started.
“He looked like he was bowling quick. He was running around and wasn’t limping. I know he was really keen to play and he was pretty confident,” said Cummins.
“I think now it’s seeing how it recovers. He said it’s got a bit better the last week or two since Perth. Hopefully he gets through today and he’s all right.
“He’s played a lot of cricket now and knows his body pretty well and what he can get through, I’m sure they will take a lot of it on his word.
“… In the 2013-14 Ashes, they finished with the same side that started, so it’d be nice if the fast bowlers finish as we started off.”
There is still going to be more than a month and a half between when the Sydney Test finishes the first Test starts in South Africa on March 1.
However, Starc is a bowler who fires best off a finely-tuned preparation and Australia won’t want to risk further bruising and then have him miss an entire one-day series.
Cummins said before the MCG Test that his experience with heel bruising was that it can take time to heal properly – although the young quick confirmed yesterday that Starc’s issue was far less serious than the one he encountered way back in 2011 after his debut.
“I’d say (South Africa is) probably the big concern. If it was really bad that’s I guess what would keep him out,” he said.
“But it’s different to mine. He can walk around.
“Each time I kind of bowled a spell it got worse and worse.
“The way he was saying, his was almost worse in the first innings (in Perth) and stayed the same for the whole Perth match. And the last couple of weeks it’s definitely got a lot better.
“It’s definitely different to what I had.
“It’s like anything. It’s a bruise. If you keep smashing it, it will get bigger and bigger. But he says it’s in a good spot now. If he doesn’t think he can get through this match he wouldn’t play but we’ll find out in the next couple of days.”