Australia vs New Zealand 2015, 3rd Test at Adelaide: Mitchell Starc limps off field

Mitchell Starc left the ground to go for scans on the right ankle that has been troubling him throughout the year © Getty Images

Adelaide: Australia star pacer Mitchell Starc limped off the Adelaide Oval midway through the opening day of the historic day-night Test against New Zealand with what is suspected to be an issue relating to his ongoing ankle problem. Starc left the ground to go for scans on the right ankle that has been troubling him throughout the year and which caused him to grimace in obvious pain in his ninth over on Friday. The fast bowler after taking the wicket of debutant Mitchell Santner - his third scalp of the day - pulled up post-delivery stride, showing signs of pain. CRICKET SCORECARD: Australia vs New Zealand, 3rd Test at Adelaide

Minutes later he left the field, just one over in to a fresh spell with Peter Siddle coming on at the Cathedral End from which Starc had been operating. The left-armer has been managing bone spurs in his right ankle throughout 2015, and required cortisone injections to get through earlier tours. "As part of his management, we have had regular MRI scans that have confirmed the presence of some bone spurs, that cause the inflamed joint. Pleasingly, the most recent scan did not show any significant deterioration despite the heavy playing schedule in the past 12 months and he has generally coped okay," then team physiotherapist Alex Kountouris had said in September.

Bad news for Starc & Australia - he has an early stage stress fracture in the third metatarsal on his right foot #AUSvNZ

— cricket.com.au (@CricketAus) November 27, 2015

In October Starc, who was man of the series of the 2015 World Cup, said that he understood that the nature of his injury would eventually require surgery, but the lengthy recovery period - up to five months - meant he was willing to push through pain to postpone surgery until at least the end of Australia's Test summer.