Mitchell Starc has sent down overs and taken more wickets than any other fast bowler in the Ashes but insists he is not even contemplating being rested for this week’s final Test.
The Australian left-armer is a strong contender for player of the series, taking 15 wickets at 26.60 as the only seamer from either side to play all four games in quick succession.
Few pundits expected any of the specialist quick men to get through the entire tour without a breather, but Starc is eager to keep his hot streak going.
Friday’s game in Hobart is a day/nighter and Starc’s record with the pink ball – 52 scalps in nine games at 18.23 – means he is particularly keen to avoid being caught up in rotation.
“I hope not it’s not my turn for a rest, it’s a pink ball game!” he said.
“It’s purely up to the selectors but I’m not looking for a break. It’s the last Test of an Ashes series at home and I’d very much like to play. It’s in the hands of the selectors but I won’t be asking them for a rest.”
Starc’s impressive run of form started at the earliest possible moment in the series, when he flattened Rory Burns’ leg stump with the first ball of the first morning.
It was an unforgettable moment which set the tone of Australian dominance, with their stranglehold only slightly loosening last week in Sydney where England clung on for a draw to stop themselves going 4-0 behind.
“They will take a little bit of confidence from that I guess, getting away with a draw,” Starc conceded.
“Obviously a few guys performed quite well in the Test, but it’s different conditions here, a different ball. It would have been nice to win last week but it was a fantastic spectacle for cricket and both teams will take plenty out of that match. Hopefully it’s another fantastic one this week.”
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