Sean Abbott said he was trying to avoid being placed in the stands because of how fast Starc played. Victoria coach Chris Rogers, with five Test hundreds to his name, briefly joked about joining David Warner in delivering a Test comeback before noting that watching Starc bowl made him reconsider even joking about it.
He beat both firsts by pace. He lit the stumps of a tailender. It was Starc at his quintessential best.
“It’s always good to find that rhythm, I guess, at the end of the summer,” Starc said after choosing man of the match on Monday. “I probably didn’t have that rhythm on the UK tour, with some moving parts and a bit of unrest throughout the group.”
Twelve months ago, Starc was barely limping to the start line of the home summer, somehow playing 10 of 11 matches in the ODI World Cup and contributing in the semi-final and final, despite suffering a major physical problem that He never wanted to. to reveal.
Saturday’s main training session at the MCG was instructive in how much better he feels compared to this time last year, where his preparation was severely limited due to the physical issue he was battling.
On Saturday it was full on the networks. There was no inhibition. His only break was to have a long conversation about his load with head coach Andrew McDonald and bowling coach Daniel Vettori. There was no anguish or worry. I was simply describing a feeling and an internal signal that I wanted.
It is an ideal spot for a fast bowler. Fit, firing and pain-free, with just one simple thought to worry about before letting another rocket fly.
“I think more physically, having had some problems during the World Cup last summer compared to this summer, I feel like the body is in a good space and I felt like I had a very good rhythm and I felt very good during the week. last time in the Shield game,” Starc said.
“I’m not really changing anything, I’m just focusing on some technical things. But I think the physical aspect, the body is in a much better place than last year.”
It seems more than likely that both Starc and Cummins will avoid the trip to Perth before heading there the following Sunday to prepare for the first Test against India. A decision will be made in due course on whether Hazlewood will play two games in three days in Adelaide and Perth.
“I’m hoping to play in Adelaide and we’ll go from there,” Starc said. “There are a few days left between this and Adelaide, a chance to play golf and get ready for Friday. Different story between Friday and Sunday in Perth.”
