Mitchell Starc weighs in on Cameron Green’s absence ahead of the Border Gavaskar Trophy starting from November.
Mitchell Starc has indicated Australia could need to draw on their reserves against India.
Starc has acknowledged that the withdrawal of Cameron Green will alter the composition of Australia’s Test team. He has hinted that speed reserves might be required to get through the summer.
Beyond just who opens the batting alongside Usman Khawaja, Australia’s selectors have a number of problems over the Border-Gavaskar Trophy following Green’s season-ending back surgery.
In particular, Australia’s ageing pace attack may suffer as a result of the all-rounder’s absence. They will probably have to work harder against India.
Prior to the summer, Australia’s captain Pat Cummins had said that Mitchell Marsh and Green would be highly relied upon. This especially if India bat for extended periods of time.
Starc, Cummins, and Josh Hazlewood are most likely going to be the three quicks to start the summer. Sean Abbott, Michael Neser, and Scott Boland are now looming large.
“It will always change the dynamic when you take a genuine allrounder like a Cameron Green. Or with England when you take a Ben Stokes, out,” Starc said. “When you have that genuine allrounder who has been part of a group for a while … you get into a bit of a routine of having that extra bowling option.
“I don’t know what the dynamic of that line-up is going to be. There is a lot of talk around that opening spot and Mitch [Marsh] bowling as well.
“It’s not completely foreign. We’ve had series in the past where we haven’t had an allrounder at all.
“We’ve had to take some of that workload, and Gaz [Nathan Lyon] has probably had to bowl a bit extra as well.”
Starc will begin his red-ball summer against Victoria in the Sheffield Shield on Sunday, with Steve Smith and Lyon also playing.