Sizzling Starc does it again
Starc warms up with his 2nd hat-trick in two days
NICE TO SEE THE OTHER MITCHELL IS IN TOUCH: Mitchell Johnson @MitchJohnson398 Seriously 2 hat tricks in the same game @mstarc56. Now time to rip into the poms Pace bowler Mitchell Johnson, now retired from internationals, led Australia’s 5-0 win in 2013-14
THE difference between the two Ashes attacks was emphasised in the starkest fashion yesterday when Mitchell Starc earned a place in cricket history with a remarkable second hattrick in successive days.
As England paceman Stuart Broad talked of returning to the defensive ‘ bowling dry’ methods that once took them to the top of the world rankings, Australia’s figurehead was rewriting the record books in spectacular fashion in Sydney.
Starc, returning to form and fitness at just the right time for Australia, propelled New South Wales to an emphatic Sheffield Shield victory against Western Australia with his second hat-trick of the match.
It was only the eighth time in history any bowler has recorded hat-tricks in each innings of the same first- class match and the first time any Australian has pulled off the feat.
Starc is also the first bowler to wrap up each innings of any first- class game with three wickets in three balls.
The astonishing scenes at Sydney’s Hurstville Oval provoked an immediate reaction from Mitchell Johnson, the destroyer of England in the 5-0 whitewash in 2013-14.
He tweeted: ‘ Seriously 2 hat- tricks in the same game @mstarc56. Now time to rip into the poms.’
Former Aussie paceman Ryan Harris even claimed the pace trio set to start in the first Ashes Test in Brisbane — Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins — is better than the one that thumped England four years ago.
‘Hazlewood’s doing the job I did back then,’ Harris said. ‘And he’s quicker than me and gets more bounce. Starc can do a Johnson role, and you have Cummins — so you probably have extra pace.’
But Harris also has respect for England’s attack, in a series which may well see ball dominate bat.
‘The bowling line-ups are world class. They’re going to have a big say on every Test match,’ he said.
It was far more sedate in Adelaide where, after Surrey all-rounder Tom Curran replaced the injured Steven Finn, Broad was outlining England’s very different mentality.
‘We have to look at what we do best as a group,’ said Broad, who was rested for today’s second warm- up against a Cricket Australia XI under the Adelaide Oval lights. ‘ We’re not going to blast the Australians out, we don’t have Brett Lee-type bowlers who can bowl 95mph reverse-swinging yorkers. We have to do what we do: slightly more defensive fields and not bowling too full.’
To that end England are taking advice from former New Zealand quick Shane Bond, who is acting as a consultant for the early stages of the tour before Chris Silverwood takes over as England’s full-time bowling coach. ‘Shane told us the best length at the Gabba is six metres from the stumps and he’s been putting a yellow marker at the side in our nets to show us the perfect length to get the most movement. But that could change as the match goes on because I think the Gabba gets quicker.’
Just because Australia have the quicker bowlers does not, of course, mean they will be as skilful as England’s big two, who will be integral to hopes of emulating the 2010-11 series win here.
Jimmy Anderson eased into this tour by carrying on his golden form of the summer with four wickets in Perth while Broad, by his own admission, bowled ‘like a drain’ against Western Australia. But no bowler is more capable of rising to the big occasion than the man the Aussies have turned into their pantomime villain.
‘ Tour games like that are a glorified net and it was the first time I had bowled outdoors for two months,’ said Broad. ‘If you have quite a bit of time out of game mode you forget those rhythms. I bowled like a drain but more importantly my last two overs were good.’
One advantage England do have is room for an extra fast bowler because of the balance of their side, and Craig Overton and Jake Ball were always ahead of the departed Finn in the pecking order for that final place. England will use today’s day-night warm-up and possibly next week’s final tour game in Townsville ahead of the Test to decide between the two.
Both were yesterday named in England’s team for today’s match while England gave a clear indication they are leaning towards Dawid Malan ahead of Gary Ballance for the No 5 position by picking the Middlesex man today.
‘I think we’re a little bit like the Australian team — we’ve probably got one or two positions we’ve still got to nail down,’ said England coach Trevor Bayliss ahead of the four- day game against a Cricket Australia XI which starts today. ‘We’re pretty close but that’s what these two matches will be for.’
That all-important balance has been badly affected by the absence of Stokes, whose position remains unchanged until Avon and Somerset police finally decide whether to charge him over the Bristol fracas in September.
But one other player who remains crucial to England’s five-bowler policy is Moeen Ali, who they hope will be able to return to the nets this week despite being ruled out of this dress rehearsal for the day-night second Test in Adelaide.
‘Mo probably could have played here in Adelaide,’ said Bayliss, who insisted he would not hesitate to throw the untried leg- spinner Mason Crane into the fray should Moeen suffer another setback. ‘He’ll start having a net this game so we know he’s completely all right before letting him loose.’
Australia, meanwhile, are happy to sit back until they can let the hat-trick man Starc loose.