Former Australia Test team captain has praised star bowler Mitchell Starc as he prepares for the T20 World Cup in the USA and West Indies. Starc along with Pat Cummins will lead Australia’s bowling unit during the T20 World Cup as they bid to become the first team to be the defending champions in all three formats of the game.
Paine praises Starc
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“He realised that with international cricket, you are going to get picked apart in the middle. But I think he nailed it. His record in the first overs of big games is amazing. He has done it at the MCG, we will never forget that. He knocked down Brendon McCullum. He has done that time and time again,” Paine said.
“I think he is a victim of his own really high standards. People expect absolute brilliance from him every time he walks onto the field. And more often than not, he has produced… When he is on, he is as good as any other player who has ever played cricket, and he is gonna be a huge weapon in this coming World Cup again,” Paine added.
Starc had a fruitful Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) campaign as he helped Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) win their third title. The speedster was at his best during the tournament and bagged 17 wickets in 14 matches. He was also awarded Player of the Match in the final having ended with figures of 14/2 in three overs. He was the standout bowler in the final and put SunRisers Hyderabad on the backfoot during his spell.
Australia are placed in Group B where they will face defending champions England, Namibia, Scotland and Oman. The 2021 champions will start their T20 World Cup campaign against Oman on June 5 in Barbados.
Australia 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
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