NEW DELHI: Despite a serious injury scare, Australia's captain Mitchell Marsh revealed that top bowler Mitchell Starc would be available for their forthcoming match against England in Barbados.
In the fifteenth over of their opening match against Oman, Cameron Green replaced the left-arm pacer. He only bowled one delivery, which the umpire ruled to be a wide.
T20 WORLD CUP:
Starc was obviously in discomfort shortly after the delivery, so physios arrived to treat him on the field. He left the field despite getting the treatment. Glenn Maxwell came in to bowl the 15th over.
Starc's availability for the match against England was uncertain, however Marsh revealed that Starc experienced cramps and will be ready for their second match.
"Starc is all good. Just a bit of cramp from the other night. So, as I said, there was no unnecessary risk taken and he's fit," Marsh said in the pre-match press conference.
Every venue's surface has differed from the others during the competition. Some pitches help the pacers, while others favour spin.
As a result, each team's starting lineup has changed depending on the type of surface they play on.
Marsh is confident that Australia can select the best team for the given circumstances based on the caliber of their 15-man squad.
"Yeah, I think with the 15 we've got, we've got a lot of options with our team that we can pick and it will just be conditions-based and we're certainly not set on anything, just we want to pick the right team for winning a certain match and then go from there" he added.
England has a potent bowling unit, but Australia can potentially take advantage of Starc's pace.
With their sheer speed, Mark Wood, Jofra Archer, and Chirs Jordan can pose a threat to even the most proficient hitters.
Marsh was aware of the threat that the English pacers carry and said, "Well, they bowl 150 k's an hour, so that's always a threat. Yeah, they're two quality bowlers and yeah, looking forward to that challenge."
Australia T20 WC squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa. Travelling Reserves: Jake Fraser-McGurk, Matt Short
(With ANI inputs)
