Starc enjoying home comforts as Australia wait to swing back into action
Mitchell Starc hasn’t picked up a cricket bat or ball in two months, and isn’t exactly salivating at the prospect of his new work conditions.
The enforced lockdown because of the Covid-19 pandemic gave the Australian pace bowler and his wife, Alyssa Healy, who is the wicketkeeper for the Australian women’s team, a reprieve from their constant and sometimes conflicting careers in international cricket.
Starc returns to pre-season practice today in Sydney, still unclear as to when the Australian team will tour again.
One thing is for sure, he won’t be adding extra commitments to what likely will be a heavy schedule when cricket resumes. Starc had already opted out of the Indian Premier
League this season, and is unlikely to reconsider even if the lucrative competition is rescheduled to later in 2020.
“It’s hard enough juggling one cricket schedule with three formats let alone when my wife plays cricket on a completely different schedule as well. Something I take into consideration heavily is being able to spend time together,” he said.
“For us to have that time together, which we have done the last eight weeks, I wouldn’t give that back for a contract at all.”
The Australian men’s team is hoping to play a limited-overs series in England in September, and then host India for a series starting in November.
It’s time for Starc to start thinking harder about how he’s going to take wickets under proposed new playing conditions that will prohibit the use of saliva to shine the ball, although the International Cricket Council has indicated it will be OK to use sweat. Artificial substances are outlawed, but cricket ball manufacturer Kookaburra is developing a wax that could be used to polish the ball instead of saliva.
“There needs to be something in place to keep that ball swinging,” said Starc.
“There needs to be an even contest between bat and ball, otherwise people will stop watching.”