Report: Starc 'furious' over criticism from former Aussie stars
What's the story?
After facing heat from some former Aussie cricketers, Starc has finally responded to all the criticism claiming that he performed his role for the team with brand new ball in hand, barring some overs.
Starc was criticized by former legends Shane Warne, Adam Gilchrist, and Mark Waugh as well as his past team-mate, Mitchell Johnson.
The background
Although Mitchell Starc finished with fine match figures of 5-103 in the Adelaide Test, which India won by 31 runs in a close encounter, Warne didn't seem pleased with how Starc handled the new ball.
On the other hand, legendary speedster Mitchell Johnson also showed dissent on Starc's body language whereas Mark Waugh felt that the paceman had not bowled well in the past 12 months.
Shane Warne had criticized Starc four years ago as well, calling him 'soft'; that comment is believed to have brought the best out of the aggressive speedster.
The heart of the matter
After Australia bore a loss in the opening Test of an India-Australia Test series for the first time ever, Shane Warne seemed to put most of the blames on Mitchell Starc's account.
'It was atrocious, the worst I’ve ever seen Starc with the second new ball. Anyone can have a bad day, but for the whole Test, Mitchell Starc didn’t look at his best. And there is no excuse for anyone not to be at their best for the first Test of a summer," the magical leg-spinner wrote in his column for the Daily Telegraph.
Reports suggest that Starc is furious regarding the comments made against him in recent times. Warne also expressed his disappointment, asking why Starc didn't play domestic cricket before the series, to get his rhythm back.
"Starc is believed to be furious over the latest bake from Warne, having already been criticized this week by former selector Mark Waugh and pace legend Mitchell Johnson," a report said.
The report also claimed that the Australian panel of national selectors, Trevor Hohns, Greg Chappell and coach Justin Langer, were unpleased with the fitness Starc has displayed in recent times.
However, before taking the field for the second Test in Perth, Starc addressed his criticism, stating that he was happy with how he bowled with the new ball, except few overs in each innings.
"Bar about three overs I was pretty happy. Stuck to my plans, did my role for the team," Starc responded.
What's next?
After Australia posted a respectable total of 326 runs in the first innings against India in the Optus Stadium, Starc bowled Murali Vijay out for a duck, providing a breakthrough for his team just before the end of the session.
It will be interesting how Starc fares in the Test, after getting slammed by some of the greats of his own country.