Mitchell Starc knocks over Rory Burns to start Australia’s Ashes sojourn on an auspicious note

Mitchell Starc took Australia off to a flying start in the opening Ashes Test at The Gabba in Brisbane. After England won the toss and elected to bat first, the speedster made sure that the visitors weren’t allowed to settle into a rhythm. In the very first ball of the game on Wednesday morning, he got rid of opening batter Rory Burns with an absolute peach. The left-handed Burns bagged a golden duck.

Starc churned out a Yorker at the base of leg stump and Burns tried to flick the ball on the leg side. However, the batter lost his shape and fell over a bit on the off-side. The ball tailed back into Burns and crashed into the base of leg stump. Starc was over the moon after giving Australia a breakthrough in the very first ball of the game. Burns, on the other hand, was shell-shocked.

Here’s the video

WHAT A WAY TO START THE #ASHES! pic.twitter.com/XtaiJ3SKeV

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) December 8, 2021

Smith praises Mitchell Starc

Australia had named their playing eleven for the first Test a couple of days before the start of the game. Starc’s selection had a raised a few eyebrows if not a whole lot. However, Steve Smith, the Aussie Test vice-captain, backed the pacer’s selection for the encounter.

Smith lauded him for generating high speeds in recent times and praised him as one of the best in the business. “He was bowling with some proper pace and swinging the ball late. And we know when he does that, he’s, if not the best in the world, he’s up there with it,” Smith was quoted as saying.

As far as the game is concerned, the Aussies capitalised on the handsome start and made sure that the first session of Day one belonged to them. Although Starc couldn’t get another scalp, the other pacers – Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins – put their best foot forward. Hazlewood got rid of Dawid Malan and Three Lions’ skipper Joe Root to jolt the visiting team further.

Root couldn’t open his account after facing nine balls. Thereafter, Cummins pinned Ben Stokes, thereby reducing the Brits to 29 for four in 12.4 overs. At the end of the first session, Haseeb Hameed and Ollie Pope stayed unbeaten.