Mitchell Starc eyes Champions Trophy comeback
What’s the story?
Injury-prone Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc, who suffered his latest setback during the ongoing Test series between India and Australia, is confident of making a successful comeback in time for the Champions Trophy, which will be played in the month of June, in England.
Starc suffered a stress fracture to a metatarsal in his right foot during the Bangalore Test, thus ruling him out for the remainder of the series. The speedster, whose injury layoffs in the past have been lengthy ones more often than not, provided a boost to his fans, claiming that his latest injury was not too severe.
"It's OK, it's not snapped in half like the one 18 months ago," Starc told Fox Sports on Tuesday. "I did the third metatarsal last time, this one is the fourth. It’s a nice fracture, but it’s not displaced so I don’t need [to wear] a boot, fortunately. But the Champions Trophy is definitely not out of the picture at this time."
In case you didn’t know....
Considered one of the premier fast bowlers in the world, Starc has had a horrendous run with injuries, especially since the victorious 2015 World Cup campaign with Australia in which he played a stellar role picking 22 wickets to bag the Player of the Tournament award.
A similar injury to the one he suffered at Bangalore saw him sidelined for nearly a year after the historic day-night Adelaide Test in 2015, while a freak incident which saw him collide with a piece of training equipment required him to take as many as 30 stitches on his left leg.
The heart of the matter
While Starc will have to watch from the sidelines as India take on Australia in the series decider at Dharamsala from March 25, the speedster is confident that he can recover completely in time for the Champions Trophy.
Steven Smith’s side have been placed in the same group as hosts England and Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand as well as giant-killers Bangladesh.
Extra Cover: Mitchell Starc responds to on-field banter with Ravichandran Ashwin
What’s next?
While Starc is clearly missing out on the battle with Ashwin as can be seen from his comments in response to Ashwin’s jibe during the Bangalore Test, he is also keenly working on his rehabilitation back home in Australia.
The speedster, who is already working hard in the gym, will meet with a specialist on Thursday as he hopes to get a clearer picture of things.
Author’s Take
While Starc is a proven match-winner in all formats of the game, his prowess in the limited-overs format is outstanding. There’s no doubt that he will be eagerly waiting to bowl in the swinging conditions in England against the best in the business and much of Australia’s chances will depend on how fit and ready Starc is for the tournament.
After missing a large chunk of the series against India, expect Aussie’s pace spearhead to come out all guns blazing when he does make his return.