Starc’s doosra, now expresses ‘utmost respect’ for Smith
MUMBAI : Australia pace spearhead Mitchell Starc has clarified his earlier comments that seemed to criticise Steve Smith over his first media conference following the ball-tampering row in the Cape Town Test.
Smith, the skipper in the series, had taken the blame on the team leadership after young batsman Cameron Bancroft was caught on TV rubbing sandpaper on the ball. That seemed to suggest the fast bowlers, including Starc, were also aware of the plan, which was not the case, the left-arm pacer had been reported as saying in a panel discussion in Australia.
However, Starc’s comments came as a direct attack on Smith, who is serving a one-year ban with his deputy David Warner as Australia was outraged by what it saw as cheating.
Starc played down his comments, saying he has ‘utmost respect’ for Smith. In comments posted on his official website, he said: “It was such a stressful time in our lives. There was strain on relationships both as individuals and as a team. However, the relationships of that group remain very much intact.
“I look forward to the opportunity to play alongside every one of my team mates from that tour again. My comments at the forum were provided in the context of a particular topic, as it related to being honest and authentic in delivering a message. This context has unfortunately been lost in certain media reporting and headlines in recent days,” Starc said.
“Despite reports to the contrary, I continue to have the utmost respect for Steve Smith as captain, team-mate and friend and I look forward to having him back in our great game soon. That goes for David and Cameron who have also been through an extremely tough time.”