'They will bring Starc in for Boland' - Tim Paine believes Mitchell Starc will return for second Ashes Test

Australia dropped a bombshell ahead of the Ashes opener in Birmingham when they left out star left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc to accommodate the incoming Josh Hazlewood. Although the visitors got over the line to draw first blood in the series, former Australian skipper Tim Paine believes Starc will be in the reckoning to start the second Test.

Despite Australia's victory against England in a thrilling contest at Edgbaston, a few question marks have been raised over the performances of Josh Hazlewood and Scott Boland. The duo managed just five wickets between them in the entirety of the first match.

Former Australian skipper Tim Paine feels that Mitchell Starc will be back for the second Test at Lord's, with Scott Boland making way for the experienced left-armer. While he omitted Boland from the second Test, Paine stated that it was more down to the rotation of the bowlers rather than their form.

"It's critical when you are playing in a five-match series, we are playing six Test matches in six weeks, so there is no doubt that those fast bowlers are going to be rotated. I think they will bring Starc in for Boland. Again not dropping Scott Boland, he has been unbelievable but we need all of these bowlers to play a role at some stage in these Ashes. I think the only guy they will try and get through the five Tests is obviously our captain Pat Cummins," Paine said in an interaction on the SEN podcast.

He will also bring Nathan Lyon into the game even more with his footmarks: Paine

Elaborating on the selection of Starc for the Lord's Test, Paine reckoned that the left-arm pacer will be a potent weapon against the aggressive English batters. Starc's inclusion will also assist veteran offspinner Nathan Lyon, who had a memorable outing in the Test series opener. 

"I am really excited to see Mitchell Starc play again because of the way England are batting. I think with his extra airspeed and the different angles he can create from over and around the wicket with them being super-positive, he is going to create so many opportunities. He also will bring Nathan Lyon into the game even more with his footmarks," he added.