Mitchell Starc calls for big change amid telling truth for Australia at World Cup
The Aussie quick isn't happy with the current trajectory of the game.
Aussie quick Mitchell Starc has taken aim at the One Day International rules at the Cricket World Cup calling out the unfair advantage batters receive over bowlers. One of Australia's greatest ever World Cup bowlers, Starc has admitted his struggles at this tournament after a strong start with the ball.
And the quick has taken aim at the rules for allowing a change of white ball after 25 overs, which appears to favour batters with the ball coming onto the bat faster without swing. With the introduction of bigger bats, power-plays and the need to change the white ball halfway through the 50 overs, batters have certainly seen the game swing towards more runs.
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And Starc has taken aim at the gap in contest between bat and ball, which has seen in this year's World Cup numerous records shattered with huge totals and massive run chases.
“I still think it should be one ball not two,” Starc told reporters ahead of the clash against South Africa. “The ball stays harder for longer. As we’ve seen here, the grounds are quite small, wickets are flat.
“If anything in world cricket wickets have gotten flatter and I think if you look at some of that old footage when they bowled with one ball, reverse swing comes into it a lot more that actually brings the bowlers back into the game, and I don’t think it’s any secret that one day cricket and probably T20 cricket as well is a batter’s game and bowlers just have to hang on.”
Mitchell Starc's struggles at World Cup
Starc enjoyed stunning 2015 and 2019 World Cup campaigns with the white ball. However, this year he has only taken 10 wickets across eight matches at 43.90. Starc added that there are a number of factors to why this year has been different and admitted he hasn't been bowling to the best of his abilities.
“I think there’s a lot of contributing factors, speed’s not the be all and end all over here in India as well," he added. “So certainly how you go about it (bowling) tactically and whether it’s variations or what time you bowl through a game or whether you win or lose a toss.
"I think a lot of things contribute to that and certainly haven’t been probably at the level that I would have liked as well. So I certainly take some (responsibility) myself there that (I haven’t bowled) to the same level as the last two World Cups anyway, but now have chance at the pointy end to I guess impact again.”
Australia will take on South Africa in the semi-final, while undefeated host's India will face New Zealand. And the Aussies have a selection decision to make ahead of the knockout clash. Glenn Maxwell's superb form, combined with Mitchell Marsh's recent century, means someone will need to miss out on the starting line-up.
This could see either Marcus Stoinis or Marnus Labuschagne fall out of the side to accomodate Maxwell's return after he was rested against Bangladesh. South Africa thrashed Australia by 134 runs in the group stage, which came after they won a five-game series 3-2 in the lead-up to the World Cup.
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