Fast bowler Scott Boland gave an important update on the fitness of fellow bowler Mitchell Starc after the end of day three of the fourth Test of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in Melbourne.
Starc looked uncomfortable on a hot day in Melbourne and was also sluggish. The left-arm fast bowler is a vital cog in the wheel of the Australian bowling attack. His unavailability or fitness concerns are likely to impact Australia’s chances in the match.
Read also: Rishabh Pant’s reckless dismissal sparks a heated conflict between Mark Waugh and Michael Hussey
Scott Bolland gives an update on Mitchell Starc’s fitness
Scott Bolland spoke to reporters after the conclusion of day three’s play at the MCG. During the press conference, he was asked about teammate Mitchell Starc’s fitness concerns. Boland revealed that Starc has a problem but will likely be able to get more involved in the rest of the test match.
“He (Mitchell Starc) is fine. He had a little pain somewhere in his back or rib but I don’t know. But he came after the break and was playing at 140 kilometers per hour. I think he will do it.” “Be well,” Boland said.
Mitchell Starc is capable of bowling over 140km/h on a consistent basis. However, his speed declined during the third day’s match as he struggled to run a good line consistently. He also bowled the leg side at times as the Indian batsmen played him comfortably.
“His power is underrated” – Scott Bolland on Mitchell Starc
Scott Bolland also recalled a moment when Mitchell Starc bowled at north of 140kph even with an injured finger. He praised Starc’s ability to bowl under a lot of pain and called it a great trait for a fast bowler to have.
“How tough he is is underrated. I think two years ago here at the MCG with a broken finger, we didn’t think he would play at all and then he came in and bowled swingers at 140 kilometers an hour,” Boland reminded reporters. .
“He is someone who can bowl through a lot of pain and has played almost 90 Test matches so far. As a fast bowler, there are not many matches you play without any discomfort at all. But he is someone who can still bowl.” “At the same pace even if he is in real pain which is a great trait to have,” the 35-year-old said.
Australia are not really playing with their strongest attack as Josh Hazlewood was ruled out of the series after sustaining an injury in the last Test. Boland replaced him in this game and is likely to play the next Test as well.
Mitchell Starc’s performance so far
Mitchell Starc was not at his best in this match. He has been wicketless so far and has numbers reading 0-86 in 25 overs so far. With India already losing nine wickets, Starc could return on the fourth day to pick up the final wicket.
Starc picked up three wickets in the final Test at the Gabba as he bowled just 1.4 in the second innings due to rain. However, Starc was excellent in the second Test in Adelaide with eight wickets in the match.
Meanwhile, Scott Bolland has been Australia’s star player so far in these roles. His figures read 3-57 in 27 overs so far. Among his dismissals, he had a fair share of Virat Kohli and Rishabh Pant.
