Tim Paine backs an underperforming Mitchell Starc, says he is just a bit low on confidence

Left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Starc had a lean 2018, taking only 17 top order wickets at 47 runs apiece with the new ball. So far in the Test series against India, he has claimed 12 wickets at an average of 27.16 — the highest average out of the Australian bowling attack. This prompted spin wizard Shane Warne to call for Starc’s replacement with the new ball in favor of Pat Cummins.

The list of people criticizing Starc further increased on day two of the ongoing fourth and final Test in Sydney. He entered the second day needing just one wicket to become the 17th Australian to claim 200 Test wickets. Instead, the 28-year-old went wicketless and returned figures of 1-123 off 26 overs. It was the most number of overs bowled by an Australian in a home Test innings without a wicket since 1980.

The skipper’s confidence in Starc

However, Starc still has the confidence of his skipper, who refrained from downplaying his bowling. According to Tim Paine, Starc is low on confidence and will bounce back soon enough. “He’s not running out trying to spray the ball everywhere, that’s what I don’t get with the criticism he’s getting,” Paine was quoted as saying on Fox Sports.

“Mitchell Starc is trying his absolute best to do the same thing he did a year ago when he was swinging the ball around corners. He’s down on confidence a little bit, and I think sometime people just forget that he’s just a bloke who’s trying his best.”

Paine further added that Starc hasn’t been in the best of forms for quite some time now, but will surely reflect on his performances once the one-dayers begin, during which he will get some rest.

“He’s going to have a bit of time off during the one-day series so there’s some time for him to go back and look at maybe what’s going wrong at the moment. “Has he been at his best in this series? No he hasn’t. Has he been (at this best) for a little while? Probably not. Starcy knows that. He’s working on it.”

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