With reminders of former Australia coach Tim Nielsen’s advice motivating him to keep going, Mitchell Starc is about to reach a huge milestone. He will move up to fourth place behind Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, and Nathan Lyon on Australia’s all-time top Test wicket-takers list if he takes two wickets at Hagley Oval this week against New Zealand in the second Test. Dennis Lillee now holds the top spot on this list. On the other hand, Starc is just as proud of his impending seventh straight Test match in the southern hemisphere this summer.
Mitchell Starc had not played as many games as he has now in his remarkable 14-year international career. The closest he ever got was in the 2017–18 season, when he only missed one Test out of an intense eight matches against South Africa and England. He changed from being seen as frail to becoming Australia’s Iron Man, fighting through suffering to stand up for his nation. He embraced the idea that suffering is a necessary part of the work, recalling a crucial chat from his early 2010 travels.
“I was still getting to know what all those pains were, and since the reports were obviously shared with everyone from coaches to physios, I kind of felt like I needed to toughen up a little.” I think I learned about those early doors from Timmy Nielsen. Starc reportedly said, “Obviously, there are many situations in which you need to be honest with the medical staff, but there are also times when you have to know when to push through things.”
Nobody notices, whether it’s for rehabilitation or taking care of minor aches and pains. Mitchell Starc
One of those difficult times has come for the pacer in the last year. In the away Ashes series last year, he was Australia’s leading wicket-taker, even though he played in just four Tests.
Subsequently, he was ruled out of the limited-overs tour of South Africa in advance of the ODI World Cup because of ongoing groin pain. Regarding the particulars of his injury, Starc has remained silent and has not disclosed the full extent of his agony.
“It seems like a lot of labor goes into things that people don’t see, like rehab or taking care of minor aches and pains. Many people also experience sore mornings. However, I believe that ultimately boils down to dealing with certain situations and learning how to work around them so that you can still perform and carry out your function or have an impact on the team,” he continued.
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