"If he is moving the ball around, he will be as good as any other fast bowler" - Glenn McGrath expects strong showing from Mitchell Starc in IPL 2024
Australian legend Glenn McGrath expects Mitchell Starc to be at his best in the upcoming IPL 2024 and not get bogged down by his price tag.
The 34-year-old became the most expensive player in IPL history during the 2024 auction when the Kolkata Knight Riders acquired his services for a whopping ₹24.75 crore. Despite being among the most accomplished white-ball bowlers, Starc has not played in the IPL since the 2015 season.
In a Media interaction at the MRF Pace Foundation, McGrath said:
"For Starc, he chose not to come to the IPL due to personal reasons. But he comes back and gets a record price. He will be looking forward to it. On his day, if he is moving the ball around, he will be as good as any other fast bowler."
Starc's Aussie pace-bowling partner Pat Cummins was the second most expensive player in IPL history, going to the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH) for ₹20 crore.
However, McGrath feels the experienced duo will not get adversely impacted by the 'price tag'.
"The money that they have received is incredible. But they are both very experienced players and know the game well. They are going to go out and play well as they have done in the past. I don't think it (price tag) will impact them even one percent," added McGrath.
While Cummins was made the captain of the SRH franchise, Starc will look to help KKR overcome their death-bowling frailties from last season.
Ironically, the duo will go against each other when SRH takes on KKR in both sides' season opener at Eden Gardens on March 23.
"I retired when I was 33 and Jimmy Anderson is still moving the ball at 41" - Glenn McGrath
Glenn McGrath felt it would be up to Mitchell Starc and his desire to keep playing when asked how long the left-arm pacer can continue to play competitive cricket.
Despite being 34, Starc continues to play all three formats for Australia and recently eclipsed the 350-wicket mark in Tests, totaling 668 scalps across formats for Australia.
"It all depends on what he (Starc) wants. I retired when I was 33 and Jimmy Anderson is still moving the ball at 41. It's about how much game time he gets and how he and his body are enjoying it," said McGrath.
McGrath also admitted India remains the toughest place for Australia to master due to their lack of adaptability to the spinning conditions.
"It's just the attitude of the Australian sports people - they are very competitive and back themselves to perform on the big stage. They used to adapt better before. India is always the toughest place for the Australians to adapt. They haven't been able to adapt to the spin conditions here as better as other countries do," stated McGrath.
Despite losing the World Test Championship final last year to Australia, India have won the last four Test series against them, including two down under.
The two cricketing giants are slated to play a mouth-watering five-match Test series later this year in Australia.