HEEL BE MISSED
Warne says if in doubt we must leave Starc out
AUSTRALIAN selectors have been urged to put long-term goals ahead of Mitchell Starc’s Boxing Day ambitions and leave him out of the MCG Test unless the top-line quick is fully fit.
A bruised heel has the paceman in doubt for what would be only his second Boxing Day Test, despite scans yesterday clearing Starc of major damage.
Test great Shane Warne last night said with the urn secured, Starc should be rested unless he was able to bowl at full capacity, with a big summer of short-form cricket still to be played and a tour of South Africa in March on the horizon.
“I always want to see the best possible Australian team take the field,” Warne said. “And I don’t like the idea of players being rested.
“But 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.”
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.
He also told Australian skipper Steve Smith he would “definitely” play given he had played just one Boxing Day Test since his national debut in 2011 because of form and fitness.
Starc is expected to join the Aussie squad in Melbourne tomorrow along with Jackson Bird, who Warne endorsed as his replacement.
But history suggests selectors should be cautious with Starc’s injury.
Fellow speedster Pat Cummins played out his debut Test in South Africa in 2011 with a bruised heel, which turned into a 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.
After the Perth win, Smith said the rest of the summer, and then the tour to South Africa, had to be considered when deciding whether Starc would play in Melbourne.
“That’s something we have to sum up,” Smith said.
“We’d love to win 5-0 and have the big three (Starc, Pat Cummins and 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 are a few things for us to sum up. We’ll see how he pulls up over the next couple of days.”