"I have learned not to change my game to suit fitting into a team" - Mitchell Starc ahead of 2023 Ashes
Australian speedster Mitchell Starc has vowed not to change his game plan to fit into the starting eleven moving forward. The left-arm paceman feels compromising on his own skills makes Australia's bowling attack one-dimensional.
During the 2019 Ashes series, then head coach Justin Langer's reasoning for keeping Starc out of the first three Tests was that Josh Hazlewood was better able to control the flow of runs.
England lose another! 👀
It's Ben Stokes this time, with Nathan Lyon taking a brilliant catch off Mitchell Starc's bowling 💥
The visitors are reduced to 85/5.
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The New South Wales bowler said he understands if match-ups or conditions keep him out of the game, but refuses to change his approach. As quoted by The Age, he said:
"I have learned not to change my game to suit fitting into a team. If I’m not in the XI because of conditions or match-ups, that’s fine, but I possess a skill set which complements our entire attack. I’m never going to bowl like Scott or Josh or Pat. Why do I need to change the way I go about things to be like them to fit into an XI?
He added:
"If that means I’m not in the XI at certain stages, that’s fine, but I think that’s one thing I learned from the past. Because I wasn’t in the XI, I tried to be this economical bowler who can hit a spot. That’s not me. Sure I went for a few more runs, but my strike rate was lower or I bowled a different length."
Starc returned for the fourth Test in Manchester in the 2019 leg and picked up three scalps in the first innings, including that of Ben Stokes. He followed it with one in the second as Australia won by 185 runs to take an unassailable 2-1 lead.
"I do more harm trying to fit in" - Mitchell Starc
The 33-year-old felt Australia missed an opportunity four years ago as winning the Ashes would have been more satisfying. He conceded that victory in England this year would be fitting for the veteran players.
"I’ve come to not get so frustrated about it," he said. "Sure, you want to play every game, but I do more harm trying to fit in than when I stick to my strengths. To retain the Ashes was quite special ... but you want to win it. We’re all getting to the back-end. Pat is the youngest. We’ve all been together for a number of years. If it’s the last time us older guys are together, it’d be a hell of a way to finish playing cricket in England."
The 2023 Ashes starts on June 16 at Edgbaston in Birmingham.