Mitchell Starc bowled like the wind on Satday.
Australia had piled on 559 runs in the first innings at the WACA and it gave the Australian fast bowlers the license to run in all day and bombard the Kiwi batsmen with every weapon at their disposal.
Starc didn’t need a second invitation to unleash hell on the Kiwi batsmen. He gave everything he had but the visiting batsmen stood tall.
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Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor had replies to every challenge hurled at them as New Zealand sailed past 300 in just 73 overs. Williamson was batting on 166 and Taylor on a brilliant 120 when the second new ball was taken and Starc ready to bowl his 17th over of the innings.
His first three overs were probing, but nothing that seemed out of the ordinary. Then Williamson fell to Josh Hazlewood and Brendon McCullum walked in. Starc’s first ball to Baz was slashed over slips for a boundary.
Next ball resulted in a thick edge that was grassed by Nathan Lyon at third slip. And then something snapped in Starc.
For the next four overs, Mitch was a man possessed. After the dropped catch, he ramped up the speed to over 152kmph.
In his next over, he raised the bar even higher, delivering every ball at around 150kmph or higher and peaking at the monumental 160kmph mark on the fourth ball of the 89th over.
It was a swinging yorker on off stump which Taylor somehow managed to dig out. Next ball Taylor was dropped by Mitchell Marsh at gully. It was that sort of a day.
By the close of play, New Zealand had reached a commanding 510 for six and Starc ended up with figures of two for 83 from 30 overs.
Mitchell Starc is a natural enemy of cricket stumps. Best Yorker bowler in the world #AUSvNZ pic.twitter.com/ke8BKIpgY6
— Damien Fleming (@bowlologist) November 16, 2015
If someone only had a look at the scorecard, he or she would be inclined to think that Starc did a good job and kept things tight from his end. But he did so much more than that.
It’s spells like these which make a bowler.
When he gives his absolute best and doesn’t have a lot to show for it, he learns the true extent of his abilities. That lack of reward drives the bowler to seek revenge every time he goes out to bowl.
Another instance comes to mind when a fast bowler gave it his all but had little in terms of rewards. During the 1996 tour of England, India fast bowler Javagal
Srinath shed his image of a frail medium pacer and terrorised the English batsmen with some of the most hostile spells of fast bowling seen in the country. And England has witnessed some truly great ones over the years.
The third Test and final at Nottingham was especially memorable. India has scored 521 and were in the driver’s seat.
Srinath drew every ounce of strength he had and hit an almost unplayable line and length which the hosts’ batsmen could neither defend nor play a shot of. He beat the bat and hit the batsmen so many times, it became monotonous.
I’m with the Kiwis on this one. If Mitchell Starc bowled a 160km delivery I’ll fly to the moon. Thommo he ain’t. Speed gun is rubbish.
— Ben Dorries (@Dorries_cmail) November 15, 2015
There are videos of the series floating around on the internet and are worth watching, not only for the brilliance of Srinath’s craftsmanship but also as a tribute to the never-say-die attitude of a sportsperson. For the record, Srinath got four wickets from three matches.
There is no doubt that Starc will grow stronger from his outing at the WACA.
For all the match-winning spells he has bowled and will do in the future, those four overs he bowled with the second new ball against the Kiwis will stay etched in his memory forever, pushing him to succeed against all odds.
Bad timing
It’s never a good time to get injured. But some occasions are worse than others. Australia batsman Usman Khawaja had finally come to grips with Test cricket.
After making his Test debut in 2011, Khawaja had to wait for four years to score his first ton. And he then scored another in the next match, against New Zealand in the ongoing Perth Test.
The 28-year-old had all but secured his spot in the team. And then, he tweaked his hamstring, ruling him out of the Adelaide and Hobart Tests. With the world at his feet, Khawaja now has to start again.
He took a long time to recover from his knee injury last year and his hamstring trouble has pushed him to the sidelines once again.
Usman Khawaja (hamstring) isn’t batting at number three – Captain Steve Smith comes to the wicket in his place #AUSvNZ
— FOX SPORTS News (@FOXSportsNews) November 16, 2015
There is no doubt that Khawaja is immensely talented. But lingering fitness issues can threaten the most promising of careers.
India’s Cheteshwar Pujara had been in line for a spot in the Test team for many years and made his Test bow in 2010. But a knee injury kept him out for much of 2011 and it knocked him off his path.
For the next four years he was in and out of the team and it was only in 2015, once India had exhausted all other options, that Pujara finally became a regular member of the side.
Let’s hope Khawaja gets back in the saddle quickly.
