Australia speedster Mitchell Starc has said that he’d certainly want to play in the IPL again, but is content with representing Australia at the international level and aims to play 100 Tests for his country.
Starc has played two seasons of the Indian Premier League in IPL 2014 and 2015, where he turned out for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, but since then, has either not entered the auction pool or withdrawn from call-ups citing international commitments.
Starc on Sunday won the ICC World Test Championship title with Australia as they beat India by 209 runs in the final at The Oval.
“I enjoyed it (IPL), likewise I enjoyed my time in Yorkshire 10 years ago, but Australia will always sit at the top. I don’t regret any of it, money will come and go but I’m very grateful for the opportunities I’ve had.
Over a hundred years of Test cricket and there’s been less than 500 men who have played it for Australia, that in itself makes it very special to be a part of it," Starc told The Guardian.
Starc, who has played 78 Tests, 110 ODIs, and 58 T20Is so far, hopes that the coming generation of players will prefer playing for the country rather than the lucrative opportunities the franchise cricket provides.
“The traditionalist in me still hopes there is a generation of boys and girls who want to represent their country in Test cricket. But the easy money is in franchise cricket, it’s the fast track to notoriety," he said.
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Starc, however, didn’t rule out the possibility of playing in IPL once again but said that it won’t be at the cost of playing for Australia.
“I’d certainly love to play in the IPL again, but my goal for a long time has been to be at my best for Australia, no matter the format. There’s nothing I love more in cricket than to sit back with my teammates at the end of a Test win and reflect on the success we’ve had that week. To be able to pull on the baggy green with a lot of my close mates, guys I’ve grown up in the game with," he added.
The 33-year-old feels fortunate to be able to wear the baggy green for over a decade now.
“Franchise cricket is great, but you can be bought or sold or traded in 12 months, whereas this is an opportunity (playing Tests) that I’ve been fortunate enough to have over 10 years now to be able to pull on the baggy green with a lot of my close mates, guys I’ve grown up in the game with," Starc said.
