His spells in the World Cup were a jaw dropping stuff. He is still the No. 1 ranked bowler in One-Day Internationals (ODIs), he can still bowl those yorkers but something is not right with the speedster, Mitchell Starc. Australia may have won the One-Day series in England 3-2 but Starc ended the series with five wickets from four games at a dismal average of 42.60 with his economy-rate touching almost six.
He was expected to demolish the English batters this summer but has instead looked a shadow of his giant self. In the ODI series as well he made headlines for all the wrong reasons. In the second match of the series, he threw the ball violently at Ben Stokes and as the batsman tried to take the evasive action, Starc appealed for obstructing the field. In the third match, he conceded the most runs he has done in his 10 overs spell. He was rested for the fourth match and as he came along for the final match, the only wicket that he got was an LBW where the ball was clearly going way down the leg stump. In his next spell he bowled a nasty bouncer ,which made the English captain retired hurt.
Starc was a frustrated man at the end of the day. A team source told the writer that he broke down in the dressing room and confided to George Bailey. “This is not how I want the batsmen to go back to pavilion — obstructing the field or retired hurt or getting those leg befores which even Geoffrey Boycott’s grandmother wouldn’t have given out. This is so frustrating for me as the best bowler. I am not enjoying bowling any more. I throw the ball and I enter into a controversy. I bowl fast and the batsman gets hurt. Seems I have been cursed by some spirit deadlier than the one at Langham hotel.
I plan to play only as a batsman. Remember that quick fire 50 I scored in the final Test? I think I can play purely as a batsman in Bangladesh tour and bat at no. 4. I would at least score more runs than what Clarke did in Ashes this time! What do you think?”
Even the ever-smiling Bailey had tears welled up in his eyes, thanks to Starc’s agonies. Bailey politely responded, “I am just a part-time captain, talk to captain Smith.”
Please note this is a humour article — work of pure fiction
[Devashish Palkar, an MBBS student, A sports afficionado, news addict and a patient of OCSD ( Obsessive Compulsive Satirical Disorder)].
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