Australian paceman Mitchell Starc denied opening duties in rare eight-year first

Mitchell Starc is arguably the sport’s most prolific opening bowler, but he may take on an entirely different role at the T20 World Cup.

Mitchell Starc of Australia. Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images

Australian paceman Mitchell Starc is arguably the most prolific opening bowler in world cricket, particularly in white-ball matches, but he may take on an entirely different role during the upcoming T20 World Cup.

The tall left-armer has an uncanny knack for snaring wickets in the opening over of a match, sometimes even on the first delivery, most notably during last summer’s Ashes Test at the Gabba and the 2015 World Cup final at the MCG.

Since the start of 2014, Starc has taken 19 wickets in the first over of an ODI innings, achieving the feat a further 13 times at Test level.

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It therefore came as a surprise when Australian captain Aaron Finch threw the fresh Kookaburra towards Josh Hazlewood, who delivered the opening over of Wednesday evening’s contest against England in Canberra, marking the first time he had bowled before Starc in a T20 international.

Pat Cummins shared the opening duties with Hazlewood, meaning Starc was kept away from the new ball for the first time in T20Is since 2014, when off-spinners Brad Hodge and Glenn Maxwell opened the bowling on a raging turner in Mirpur, Pakistan.

The New South Welshman was only introduced to the attack in the sixth over of Wednesday’s match, the latest for him in 54 T20 internationals for Australia.

And the strategy somewhat backfired, with Starc leaking 42 runs from his four overs, the most he has ever conceded in a T20I on home soil.

However, he was robbed of two wickets in the 15th over of England’s innings, with David Warner and Tim David dropping regulations outfield catches over the boundary rope.

“We’re just trying a few different things with that bowling distribution,” Australian captain Aaron Finch explained after the match.

“Josh Hazlewood is as good as anyone in the world with the new ball, so it’s a nice luxury that we’ve got the three quicks that are world-class and can bowl anywhere.”

Starc averages 24.43 when opening the bowling in international cricket, but that figure inflates to 37.86 when he doesn’t.

Mitchell Starc of Australia. Photo by Mark Evans/Getty Images

Speaking to reporters at Manuka Oval on Thursday morning, Hazlewood revealed that he and Cummins were tasked with targeting opening batters Alex Hales and Jos Buttler during the Powerplay.

“It’s about match-ups and we have meetings about that and talk about that,” Hazlewood said.

“That’s where we landed last night. It might be something moving forward against different teams, it just depends what the numbers say and how we match up.”

Following the eight-wicket loss at Manuka Oval, Starc explained that his role could change depending on the opposition and match situation, praising the flexibility in Australia’s bowling attack.

“Over the last few years it’s probably changed from two in the Powerplay and two at the death to one in the power play, two in the middle and one at the death,” he said in the post-match press conference.

“Between the five guys that normally bowl the majority, we can all play different roles against different match-ups. I think that’s a strength of ours and we didn’t quite get it right in these two occasions, but I think it leaves us in a good position for the World Cup having tried it now in competitive fixtures.

“Obviously we want to win these series and we want to win these games, but the big focus is the World Cup.

“It‘s disappointing to lose the series but the chat over the last period of time is about World Cup.”

The third and final T20 between Australia and England gets underway at Manuka Oval on Friday evening, with the first ball scheduled for 7.10pm AEDT.