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Mitchell Starc wants to bowl alongside Mitchell Johnson during Test series against New Zealand

Starc has said that he would love to bowl in tandem with Johnson against New Zealand despite their dismal form during the Ashes earlier this year 
 

Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc has said that he and Mitchell Johnson can be trusted to bowl in tandem for Australia during the upcoming Test series against New Zealand, despite their unsuccessful pairing during this year's Ashes series in England, reported ESPNcricinfo.

The big question for the Australian national selectors will be if they can afford to play two left-armers against New Zealand in Brisbane after the two were highly unsuccessful during the Ashes tour earlier this year. Some players within the team have expressed their doubts about the balance of the bowling attack when both left arm pacers are in the team.

Darren Lehmann, the coach, added fuel to the fire by indicating that the team needed to "get control back" and that the seniors in the team "make sure those blokes that are playing if they are attacking bowlers they've still got to be able to defend as well".

Starc feels the partnership could work well

Despite these opinions, Starc said that he felt he and Johnson should be given the chance to go after the New Zealand batsmen as they did during the World Cup final in March. "It worked pretty well in the World Cup.”

"There's times where that's happened [runs leaking] in the past, but there's times when it's worked really well in tandem. I don't think you can put it down to one series where you all of a sudden rule us both out of playing together again. So there's times when it's going to work and times when it's not going to come off.”

Starc went on to add that there was nothing to worry about fielding two left arm pacers in the side and that the gamble could pay off, "I don't see any point worrying about whether you've got two left-armers or two right-armers, you pick your best XI on any given day. If that's Mitch and I or if it's two other guys so be it, we're just going to be working our butts off through the Shield round and then depending on who's in the squad and whether we're both in there or not we'll lead-up to that first Test."

Fit as a fiddle: Starc

Starc has said that he is fit and also revealed that he did not need painkillers on his ankle during the domestic limited overs tournament. "I haven't had one since I got back from England, so it's a good sign to get through the Matador Cup without having the need for an injection, but it's going to be a bit of a test next week in the Shield game.

Starc added that he was consistently bowling well with the white ball over the past few months  and was hoping that form would continue when he picks up the red ball during the forthcoming tests against New Zealand, "That consistency's there with the white ball, the way it's come out of hand in the past 12 months especially is pleasing, but I still feel there's a way to go in improvement with the white ball, and definitely with the red. If I can take this consistency over the last three weeks into the summer with the red ball it would be fantastic."

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