As he warmed up for the Test series with some difficult bowling on the opening day against Victoria at the SCG, Mitchell Starc disclosed that he has been working on resolving some technological concerns before the Ashes.
After a particularly quick spell after lunch, Starc finished the first day with 4 for 91 from 18 overs. However, New South Wales paid a heavy price for dismissing Peter Handscomb before he had scored, as he forged an incredible century to leave the visitors comfortably placed after a fiercely contested day.
“[I’ve been] working on a few things, getting that rhythm back,” Starc stated. Trying to get that rhythm during the ODIs [against India] was probably my longest absence injury-free for a long time. It felt like something wasn’t quite clicking there, but it felt pretty close tonight, so, yeah, relatively happy.
“I usually maintain myself in rhythm by bowling continuously. I didn’t think I was ready for the ODI series, so it was a swift return to action.”
After the game, Starc told Australia coach Andrew McDonald that he felt close to returning to his peak form.
Starc had requested side-by-side video of his most recent Test stint in Jamaica, where he took 6 for 9, and the ODI in Adelaide in an attempt to identify any problems.
“I believe I’ve resolved the issue. “I couldn’t really pick up too much in the action [from the footage], which is just getting the engine going again,” he remarked. I thought I was fairly near, and I think I’m even closer now.”
Victoria was struggling at 106 for 4 after Starc, who was playing his fourth game since the West Indies tour, struck twice in quick succession after lunch. However, Sam Harper counterattacked with a 40-ball 54, which included taking 22 off five balls against Starc, and then added 92 with Handscomb. Fergus O’Neill, whose batting has been excellent this season, then joined Handscomb for 84 for the sixth wicket.
With a drive down the ground against Josh Hazlewood, Handscomb reached his second Shield century of the season from 208 balls, and shortly after, he fell to a Nathan Lyon delivery with a relatively new ball that slid past the outside edge. Handscomb had just edged Josh Hazlewood low to first slip where Jack Edwards, who had given the NSW captaincy to Steven Smith for this match, spilled a regulation catch.
“Nice to come out here and face such a quality attack,” Handscomb stated. “To score runs is always nice, but to do it against those boys was special for me.”
After lunch, Starc engaged in an intense battle with 23-year-old opener Campbell Kellaway, who is proving to be one of Australia’s most promising players of the next generation, forcing the left-hander to repeatedly swerve out of the line of well-directed bouncers. Starc gave New South Wales their first wicket of the day when he trapped Harry Dixon with a searing yorker.
However, one short ball Kellaway couldn’t avoid slammed him on the left hand causing significant pain and a lengthy delay. But he was able to resume and brought up a 96-ball fifty before gloving Starc down the leg side. It was a clear deflection and Kellaway began to walk but then stopped leaving the umpire to raise his finger.
Handscomb remarked, “[It was] fantastic from Campbell. Old Starcy fired up a bit there and got the ball whizzing through, which with the cricket season approaching, it’s exciting to see.” It’s never pleasant to take a couple finger or body strikes.
“For him just to knuckle down and keep fighting and keep trying to just focus on the next ball, sticking to his process and putting everything else out of his mind was a class act. Sort of showing that he is going from strength to strength as a batter and doing some pretty amazing things at the top of the order in the Sheffield Shield, which is a tough ask.”
At the beginning of his subsequent over, Ollie Peake sliced to gully, where Kurtis Patterson made a superb catch, giving Starc another strike. After tea, Harper started the session with two fours and two sixes, which left his figures bruised. In the way of racing to a 38-ball fifty, it featured a massive hook that lost the ball in the stands. When he couldn’t resist taking another dip, he picked out a deep square leg.
After watching the early opportunity against Handscomb go begging, Hazlewood, along with other members of Australia’s Test attack, ended up without a wicket. However, he appeared to be in fantastic rhythm, much as he had been in the recent white-ball matches against India.
Marcus Harris was trapped at short leg off an inside edge by Lyon during the morning session. After 21 overs, he finished with 2 for 65. One of Perth’s backup quicks, Sean Abbott, started out at more than four an over but rallied and hit an inside edge to get rid of O’Neill.
Will Salzmann was substituted from the match shortly after lunch due to a hamstring injury as part of Cricket Australia’s trial for the first five Shield season rounds. His replacement was Ryan Hicks. After Abbott was split webbing against Victoria in Melbourne, NSW used the rule for the second time.
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