Starc: Losing Stokes would be big blow for England
Mitchell Starc, the spearhead of the Australia pace attack, has described the potential absence of Ben Stokes from the Ashes this winter as a “big blow” for England.
Starc, speaking on the same day it was announced that his fellow seamer James Pattinson had suffered an injury setback, said: “I think everyone in world cricket knows how good Ben is... if he does come, then we know how good a player he is and how he makes that team much more balanced. So, if he’s not there, it’s a big blow for them, good for us.”
Stokes’ availability is shrouded in doubt after he was arrested last week on suspicion of causing actual bodily harm during late-night disorder outside a Bristol nightclub, then released without charge but still under investigation by police.
No announcement is expected on the next stage of police inquiries until the middle of next month – less than two weeks before Stokes is due to fly to Australia with the rest of England’s squad.
Whether he arrives on schedule or not, left-arm fast bowler Starc has spelled out his intention to make England’s tour as uncomfortable as possible in the middle.
Asked if England could challenge for the Ashes without Stokes, Starc said in quotes published on Espncricinfo: “I’m sure they can. He probably makes their team a bit more balanced, but he’s not the beall and end-all of their team.”
Starc is out to ensure England have the same troubles with the Australia attack as they did when Mitchell Johnson was the driving force in the tourists’ 5-0 whitewash defeat Down Under four years ago.
“We’ve got a really good attack there,” he said. “It’s not down to one person – everyone will like to bowl like Jono [Johnson] and terrorise the Poms like he did, but the great thing for us is we’ve got a young group that complement each other really nicely.”
Starc will return from a foot injury on Friday as he turns out for New South Wales in a domestic limited-overs match.
Australia’s fast-bowling coach David Saker has reported a setback for Pattinson as he continues to suffer with back problems but added that Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood were all on track for the Gabba Test on Nov 23.
Saker, standing in for Darren Lehmann as Australia coach on their limited-overs tour of India, gave an update on the team’s frontline seamers. “Three of them we know are on track, but James Pattinson’s had a little bit of a setback. We’re not sure how bad at the moment,” said Saker.