Mitchell Starc’s odd injury battle

Mitchell Starc can make a pink ball talk but personal problems and injury has limited his preparation for Thursday’s Test

Mitchell Starc has a potent record under lights in Test cricket Picture: Getty Images

Mitchell Starc is the pre-eminent pink ball bowler in world cricket, but his path to this Test has been rocky.

Few have had a smooth preparation but his has been difficult. The quick was forced to pull out of the white ball series because of a family illness and he only arrived in Adelaide on Monday.

The paceman had his first net with his teammates on Tuesday.

Coach Justin Langer revealed that Starc had been struggling with a peculiar injury in the games he has played this season.

“He had a bit of a rib injury in the one-day series, his rib was banging on his hip bone. He‘s hopefully coming through that well.

“He‘s obviously had a tough time with personal circumstances and we wish his family the best. He’s arrived, in terms of cricket spirits he’s in really good spirits. He’s very determined. Often when you go through what he’s going through at the moment it gives you a bit of fire. He’s certainly got that look in his eye at the moment.”

Starc has over the years copped a pasting from critics like Shane Warne, but the 30-year-old has made himself critical to his country’s fortunes at home. He begins this series six short of 250 Test wickets.

If the pink ball talks for him as it has done in recent years, the 250 mark could easily be passed in Adelaide.

“A lot of people have written him off before but he keeps coming back and keeps coming and getting better and better and better,” Langer said.

“He‘s world class. Anyone who bowls from his height, his pace and his experience I certainly wouldn’t want to be facing him on Thursday.”

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He and his mate Nathan Lyon have become something of a double act with the off spinner benefiting from Starc’s big feet roughing up a patch in front of the batting crease when he comes around the wicket.

“I‘ve been working quite hard on bowling to right-handers, there’s so many of them in world cricket so it isn’t a new challenge for me, but we’re really just looking to compete against both edges and try to bring both edges into play with catchers around the bat,” Lyon said recently.

“So it‘s going to be a challenge but very lucky to have Mitch Starc joining the squad (for Adelaide) and I love his footmarks, so it should be good fun.”

Australia has not lost any of its seven pink ball Tests and India’s only exposure was in the briefest of matches against Bangladesh which they won by an innings.

Despite the relative lack of experience Virat Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara chose to sit out the day-night tour match at the SCG last week.

“I don’t think it’s given us much of an advantage at all to be honest,” Langer said.

“I’ve always said the best players and the best teams adapt regardless of the colour of the balls.

“If it’s a red ball or a white ball or a pink ball the best players and the best teams adapt to it,

“India have just come off a day night practice game, we’ve done a bit of practice under lights, we haven’t played for 12 months or so under lights.

“When it comes to the crunch, regardless of whether it is a day nighter or a day Test match it is game on.”