Mitchell Starc is far from feeling spent after the Ashes, saying there’s one more item on the bucket list ahead of his BBL return with the Sydney Sixers
Ashes hero Mitchell Starc is refusing to put his feet up this summer, eyeing BBL silverware ahead of his long-awaited Sydney Sixers return.
Starc will play in the BBL for the first time in 11 years, returning to the SCG on Friday against the Sydney Thunder – just a little more than a week after Australia wrapped up a 4-1 Ashes victory over England.
The left-armer is now excited by the prospects of taking on some familiar faces and firing the Sixers to their second win over the cross-town rivals this season.
“We’ve seen a little bit of banter through the Big Bash this year,” he said of the Sydney rivalry.
“(There are) some guys in that squad that we as New South Wales players spend a fair bit of time with throughout the year.
“So maybe stick a few bouncers up Sammy Konstas, if he plays.
“But there will always be a little bit of extra feeling in a Sydney Smash, and there has been a bit of history there between the two teams, so I’m sure it’d be another exciting contest.”
His first BBL match since December 2014 comes after the 35-year-old was crowned player of the Ashes series for his devastating performances across the five Tests.
Undoubtedly the best bowler on either side, the left-arm quick took 31 wickets at 19.93 – the most scalps he has claimed in a Test series in his career.
Starc also maintained an average pace above 140kph across 153.1 overs in seven weeks, while notching two half-centuries and top-scoring in the second Test with 77.
But the star bowler still has more to give, saying it was always his intention to return to the Sixers, body willing, after the five Tests.
Starc, who retired from international T20s last year, said his rest would come during the T20 World Cup starting in February.
“I’ve got two months to rest after the Big Bash,” Starc said on Wednesday.
“There’s still enough in the tank to get through T20 cricket for another couple of weeks, and then I can put my feet up.”
While saying he still has to “dust the cobwebs off” with the white ball, Starc hoped to help guide the Sixers to their fourth BBL title.
The Sixers are fourth ahead of Friday’s clash against the Thunder, and will face the Brisbane Heat in their final home-and-away fixture on Sunday.
With Starc’s durability in the spotlight, fellow Sixers paceman Sean Abbott joked Starc’s summer bucket list – which includes pulling off a hole-in-one in the aftermath of the Ashes – wouldn’t be complete without BBL silverware.
“I said, ‘mate, Ashes into a hole-in-one. You’ve just ticked off everything on the bucket list, like, you can probably retire now’,” Abbott told AAP.
“And all he sent back was, ‘BBL title dot’.”
Starc said he wasn’t sure if he would return to the BBL in future summers.
Australia’s next Test series is not until August against Bangladesh in Mackay and Darwin, with those two matches kicking off the busiest 12 months in the team’s history.
“Cricket for Australia is still my priority. Test matches are still my priority,” Starc said.
“If you look down the road, post-IPL if you like … there’s no shortage of cricket for Australia, and that’s certainly my priority.
“I haven’t played a lot of franchise cricket throughout my career, so I don’t think that’s going to change much.”
But Starc made it clear he had no ambitions to feature in the LA Olympics, unlike teammate Steve Smith. The quick will be 38 when cricket returns at the quadrennial sporting event in 2028.
He also brushed aside suggestions that he could go on playing Test cricket till the age of 40 like England pace great James Anderson.
“I won’t be bowling when I’m 40, no,” he said.
“Part of my role is my airspeed, and I’ve been able to hold on to that for five Tests this summer.
“So whilst I’m still doing that and playing that role for the group, I love pulling the Baggy Green and going out with some of my close mates.
“That’s going to change at some point, and my body will let me know before anything else, I’d say, but I won’t be bowling at 40.”
KFC BBL|15 standings
Team
Matches played
M
Wins
W
Losses
L
Ties
T
No results
N/R
Net Run Rate
NRR
Deductions
Ded.
Total points
PTS
1
HUR
9
6
2
0
1
0.398
0
13
2
STA
9
6
3
0
0
1.031
0
12
3
SCO
8
5
3
0
0
1.162
0
10
4
SIX
8
4
3
0
1
0.458
0
9
5
HEA
8
4
4
0
0
-0.446
0
8
6
STR
9
3
6
0
0
-0.625
0
6
7
REN
8
3
5
0
0
-0.686
0
6
8
THU
9
2
7
0
0
-1.182
0
4
Legend
M: Matches played
W: Wins
L: Losses
T: Ties
N/R: No results
NRR: Net Run Rate
Ded.: Deductions
PTS: Total points
