Starc heads top 20 players on contract list
FAST bowler Mitchell Starc leads a list of 20 players under captain Michael Clarke named to Cricket Australia’s contracted list for the 2013-14 season, which includes back-to-back Ashes series and follows the team’s demoralising four-Test defeat in India.
Left-armer Starc, who has frequently led Australia in all forms of the game, including some strong batting performances, was reported to have been one of the big winners, with a $1m contract. Highest-paid Clarke earns about $2m a season.
Former captain Ricky Ponting and veteran batsman Michael Hussey, who were on last year’s list of 17, have retired. David Hussey, Michael’s 35-year-old brother, was not included after the selectors’ decision to concentrate on younger players.
Paceman Jackson Bird, allrounder Moises Henriques, Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith also missed out on contracts, but they remain under consideration for the Ashes and one-dayers.
George Bailey, Ed Cowan, James Faulkner, Phillip Hughes, Glenn Maxwell and Clint McKay all retained their places after earning upgrades during the past contract period.
National selector John Inverarity yesterday said the list reflects the focus on the Ashes after a “poor” India tour.
“Speaking with Michael Clarke and others, we’re all very excited about the Ashes and our focus is very much on that at the moment,” Inverarity said. “I think our pace bowling is likely to be good. I think the wickets in England are likely to suit us more than they did in India.
“But we need to get greater stability in our top six in the batting,” Inverarity added.
David Hussey’s international career appears over. He has played 69 one-day matches and 39 Twenty20s for Australia, and held out a slight hope of making the Test squad. Sapa-AP