Mitchell Starc reveals why Australia didn't impose follow-on on England
Since the 2001 defeat at the hands of India, Australian skippers have been apprehensive about going down the risky path and have only imposed follow-on on 13 occasions.
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Australians can’t be blamed for not being too fond of imposing follow-on on the opposition, in spite of having more than a sliver of a chance to extract a victory out of it. Aussie captain, Steve Smith chose not to go down the path of imposing a follow-on in the ongoing second Ashes Test at Adelaide, raising a few eyebrows in the process.
Front-line pacer for the team, Mitchell Starc came out in support for his skipper as he revealed that the right to make the decision rests solely with the captain.Back in 2001, Steve Waugh’s decision to make a Sourav Ganguly-led Indian team follow-on, turned out to be one of the most crushing defeats for Australia. India not only piled on 657 runs in their second innings, but also came back into the game as Harbhajan Singh bowled brilliantly to get the Australian side dismissed for a total of 212 runs. India eventually won the game by 171 runs, making it one of the most enthralling Test matches in the history of the game. Since then, Australian skippers have been apprehensive about going down the path and have only imposed follow-on on 13 occasions.
Mitchell Starc backs skipper on the decision to not declare
Australia would’ve had hoped to impose a follow-on on the English when the visitors were marooned at a total of 142-7 in reply to the hosts’ score of 442. However, an unwavering 66-run eight wicket partnership made Smith change his mind as they went in to bat for the second time after England were bowled out. Starc, who spearheads the Australian bowling attack and is formidable for his pace revealed that it was Smith’s call to not impose the follow-on on the flailing England side, reported Cricbuzz. “It was purely up to Smithy. That’s why he is the captain. There are pros and cons to both decisions. We didn’t (consult as a team) tonight…it’s all up to Smithy,” Starc told the reporters on Monday (December 4).
Many have been questioning the workload that the Australian pacers have been under, owing to the absence of an all-rounder in the team. In reply to that, Starc said, “Whether it’s about four bowlers or not, the decision stays with him (Smith). We are all feeling pretty good (the bowlers)… with a big lead on the board it makes everything a bit better. We will come out firing in the second innings.” In spite of being stationed at the score of 53-4, he went on to draw a confident picture for his side and stressed that they were still in a commanding position as England may have to bat under the lights for two nights; a task way more difficult than it looks since teams are still adjusting to the new concept of Day-Night Test matches.
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