Starc not rest assured

MITCHELL Starc is uncertain as to whether he will be rested on Wednesday, when Australia attempts to rebuild its World Cup campaign with a match against Afghanistan in Perth.

Starc was the standout in a miserable loss to New Zealand on Saturday, claiming six wickets as the home side almost failed to chase down 151.

After 13 days in which it played only one game, Australia is set for a relatively busy week.

The team flew from Auckland to Perth yesterday for the Afghanistan clash and on Sunday comes up against Sri Lanka in Sydney.

That clash with Sri Lanka could potentially decide which side finishes third in the pool, with a quarter-final against South Africa looming for the loser.

Starc’s preference would be to power through and play every game in the tournament.

“We’ll see how everyone pulls up, we’ve got a training session or two before our next game so our focus is on Wednesday and winning that game,” Starc said.

Captain Michael Clarke made it clear to his team how unacceptable it was to be skittled in 32.2 overs amid a collapse of 8-26.

He was unwilling to contemplate the long-term ramifications of his side’s “horrendous” batting — be it a potential semifinal clash in Auckland or some mental baggage should there end up being a trans-Tasman knockout fixture.

Man of the match Trent Boult, who claimed five wickets, suggested New Zealand would take “a lot of confidence” from its win.

“When you come up against the best in the world, you quickly take a few learnings out of it,” Boult said.

Clarke made a clutch call to take Starc off when the host’s chase was in the balance at 4-89.

Starc had bowled six overs in total, but only 2.5 overs after the dinner break.

“Hindsight is a great thing,” Starc said when asked about Clarke’s decision to end his opening spell.

“I’m not the captain so if I get told to have a break, I’ll have a break. I asked to have another one but Pup’s the captain and he’s been a great captain for a long time, so I back every decision he makes.”