Mitchell Starc remains in doubt for Boxing Day Ashes Test but has avoided serious injury

MITCHELL Starc is eager to play in the Boxing Day Test match, and even though he has avoided serious injury Test great Shane Warne has urged selectors to put Australia’s long-term goals first.

Injured cricketer Mitchell Starc arrives at Sydney Airport (Jane Dempster/Daily Telegraph)

SHANE Warne has urged Aussie selectors to put long-term goals ahead of Mitchell Starc’s own Boxing Day ambitions and leave him out of the MCG Test unless he is 100 per cent fit.

And it seems they are listening.

National selector Mark Waugh has confirmed Australia will err on the side of caution with the left-arm speedster.

A bruised heel has the big quick in doubt for what would be only his second Boxing Day Test despite scans clearing Starc of any major damage.

Australia is pushing for a 5-0 whitewash and Starc, the leading wicket taker in the Ashes with 19 scalps, is desperate to take the field.

Mitchell Starc may have to sit out the MCG Ashes Test.

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But with a four-Test tour of South Africa to follow the Ashes, selectors will be understandably keen to ensure Starc is fit.

“Common sense prevails,” Waugh said.

“You ask the bowler how he’s feeling (and) the medical staff will assess it as well.

“If it was 2-1 down or 2-1 up and this was a Test match we had to win, you might push the envelope a bit further than when you’re 3-0 up.

“Common sense says, if he’s not quite right I think they’ll err on the side of caution. That would be common sense to me.”

Warne said while he doesn’t like the idea of ‘players being rested’, he would make an exception with Starc.

“If Mitch Starc is not 100 per cent right then I wouldn’t consider him for Boxing Day, even though I’m sure he is doing everything he can to play,” Warne said.

Starc spent Tuesday night’s Ashes celebrations in the WACA change rooms with his foot in a bucket of ice, didn’t have a drink, and then left Perth on crutches in a bid to take all pressure off his bruised heel.

Mitchell Starc arrives at Sydney Airport on Wednesday.

He was still on crutches as he went for scans on Wednesday but declared that he wanted to play.

“If it’s up to me, I’m playing but I think there’s a few other people in that conversation first,” Starc said.

“I’ll get there on Friday over the next few days, and see how it pulls up go again.”

Starc is expected to join the Aussie squad in Melbourne along with Jackson Bird who Warne endorsed as his replacement.

But history suggests selectors should be cautious.

Fellow speedster Pat Cummins played out his debut Test in South Africa in 2011 with a bruised heel, which turned in to bone stress injury.

Cummins didn’t get back in to the Test team until April this year in India, when he replaced Starc, who left the tour early with a foot injury.

Starc also had foot issues in the opening Ashes Test in Brisbane where he constantly looked uncomfortable with his landing area.

Pat Cummins picked up a bone stress injury in South Africa in 2011.

After the Perth win Smith said the rest of the summer, and then the tour to South Africa in March, had to be considered when deciding whether Starc would play in Melbourne.

“That’s something we have to sum up. We’ve wrapped the series up here,” Smith said.

“We’d love to win 5-0 and have the big three (Starc, Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood) going all the time.

“But we’ve also got an important tour to South Africa after this series, which we’d love to have him available for.

“There’s a few things for us to sum up. We’ll see how he pulls up over the next couple of days. I’m sure that will determine which way we’ll go.”