Tim Paine opines that Mitchell Starc is just one wicket and one spell away from being devastating

After losing out to India in Tests and ODIs, the Australian team bounced back against Sri Lanka in the first Test. They defeated the visitors by an innings and 40 runs to take a 1-0 lead in the two-match series. However, one aspect that is still bothering the team badly is the form of their premier pacer Mitchell Starc.

Since September 2018, the left-arm pacer featured in a total of 7 Test matches. He only managed to pick up 19 wickets in 13 innings at an average of over 38. A bowler who once instilled fear in the minds of the batsmen just by his presence is now unable to create any significant impact on the game. 3/40 are his best figures in an innings during this period which is quite a disappointment. In these seven Tests, Starc never managed to pick more than 5 wickets in a game.

Mitchell Starc finds some backing from the Test skipper

Yet, despite these poor performances, Test skipper Tim Paine still backs him to come good. Paine mentioned that Starc is just one wicket and one spell away from being at his devastating best. The wicket-keeper also added that the form of the bowlers has helped release the pressure on Mitchell Starc.

“We have known for a long time what we are going to get from Starcy, sometimes he can be a bit erratic, but when he’s on he is literally the best in the world. What we have got with those two (Cummins and Richardson) and Nathan (Lyon) is the ability to build up pressure over a long period of time, and then be able to release Starcy in really short spells,” said Paine after the match.

“I think his best is not too far away. And while those two (Cummins and Richardson) are bowling like that, it allows us to use him slightly differently which is good. He is working really hard, he’s doing a lot of extra things. So clearly he knows he is not at his best but he’s working hard to get that.

“Starcy has been really good for a long period of time. But anyone at any level of cricket goes through times when it does not go your way. He is one wicket and one spell away from being devastating,” concluded Paine as quoted by Cricket.com.au.

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