Losing Starc is definitely a big blow for Australia: Craig McDermott

Craig McDermott held the position of the Australian bowling coach for some time before calling it a quits after the World T20, 2016. He has nurtured many among the current Australian fast bowlers. From one of the world’s best Mitchell Starc to Josh Hazlewood, he has guided many of them to success at the highest level.

McDermott believes that injuries to fast bowlers are a part and parcel of the game. It happens to every team and it is still something you can avoid. He was asked about Australia struggling to go into successive matches or series with the same bowling attack. To which he said that the Aussies tend to rotate the bowlers quite a bit to keep them fresh.

“Injuries to fast bowlers are part of the game and just about every team, including Australia, has missed their top bowlers in key matches in the past 2-3 years. The Australian team management has been carefully rotating their premier bowlers -series to series, format to format -in order to keep them fresh and injury-free,” McDermott said while talking to Time of India.

When the 51-year-old was asked about Starc’s injury and how it will affect the Australians, McDermott sounded passive as he said it is a ‘big blow’ for the team. Craig said: “It is never easy for any team to lose a world-class bowler like Starc. It is definitely a big blow for Australia, for he showed us in the first two Tests how devastating he can be with the new as well as the old ball, but we have adequate replacements for him.”

He also gave a hint that Starc won’t be rushed back instead they would like to give him time to prepare for the Ashes in November. “Now that Starc is injured, he will not be rushed back. He is not playing the IPL, so he has all the time in the world to recover fully and be ready before England come to Australia for the Ashes series in November,” explained the former cricketer.

Pat Cummins has replaced Mitchell Starc and McDermott said that it is a like for like replacement. Cummins is one of the quickest bowlers and bowled excellently in the recent Sheffield Shield final.

“As I look at it, the selectors have replaced one high-velocity bowler with another. Cummins is young and quick and can move the ball around. If he feels okay following the jet lag, I would be tempted to play him alongside Hazlewood as he is on top of his game and bowled really well in the Sheffield Shield final.” He added.

There is a huge question over Australia’s ability to take 20 wickets in the absence of Starc. However, McDermott believes it will be up to the batters to create pressure. “It is not about Australian bowlers, rather it’s about their batsmen. Steven Smith and his colleagues have to find a way to put a decent score on the board. If they do that, I am sure our bowlers will be able to do the job for the team.”

DRS had a lot to do with the series so far with many of the controversies topped by the DRS. McDermott believes that both the teams are mature enough to kill the issue and get on with the remainder of the series.

“I also saw what everyone else did on television, so it would be improper for me to comment on it. I think the players of both teams are mature enough to bury the issue and get on with the job of winning the series,” concluded Mcdermott.