PAK v AUS 2018: Willing to tone down attacking instinct and play support cast to spin, says Mitchell Starc

Starc is looking forward to the start of the first Test at Dubai on October 7.

The right-armer has only recently recovered from a knee injury | Getty

Premier Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc has said that he is happy and very much willing to tone down the innate attacking instincts in order to play an able supporting cast to the spinners, against Pakistan during the upcoming 2-match Test series in United Arab Emirates. 

Starc has brutal pace and the skill to generate movement with the new as well as the old ball, through which he has amassed good numbers in the Asian conditions too. But the right-armer feels, it would be more pragmatic to try and work around the two spinners - Nathan Lyon and Jon Holland - and create pressure from one end in the dry heat and unresponsive surfaces at Dubai and Abu Dhabi. 

Talking about it, Starc was quoted saying, "We've changed the roles of the fast bowlers over here, it's a little bit more of a supportive role and the spinners come into the game a lot sooner, I've had conversations with JL (coach Justin Langer) and a few other guys about potentially changing my role slightly to these parts of the world," he reiterated, "It's not like Australia where you can blast guys out on fast, bouncy wickets. It's almost playing a supporting role."

Starc also gave an insight on how he has worked really hard to improve himself as a bowler for these conditions and surfaces and cited example of his outstanding tour of Sri Lanka in 2017, as a proof of that. 

He said, "I've progressed my game to play many different roles and I have to shape that role to this part of the world and watch the world's greatest (spinner) do his thing from the other end in Nath (Lyon), In that (Sri Lanka) tour I think I sort of realised when to attack and when to have to sit back, still not go for too many runs. When the ball was reversing, that's when I could attack."

"But at the same time, it's making sure you're building that pressure by not going for runs and earning the right to take those wickets and bowling attacking," and added before signing off with, "Here where the wickets are probably even flatter and it's a bit warmer as well, you have to change that role again slightly, but I'll be definitely taking a bit of that (Sri Lanka series) blueprint into this tour as well."

The first Test at Dubai starts on Sunday, October 7. 

(Inputs from Cricket Next)

 
 

By Kashish Chadha - 06 Oct, 2018

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