The former leg spinner of Australia, Kerry O’Keefe, isn’t prepared to see the veteran left-arm pacer of the home side, Mitchell Starc, during the fifth of the five-match series in the ongoing Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG), given the latter has some issues regarding his fitness.
Mitchell Starc appeared to suffer a side strain injury during the first innings of the Boxing Day Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). The veteran, who has been in hot form in the ongoing series so far, finished with a spell of 0/86 in 25 overs in the first innings at an economy rate of 3.44 with two maidens.
The New South Wales (NSW) pacer was not at his best, but he remarked at the end of the fourth day that he would be able to bowl at least 20 overs on the last day if required, as the home side was chasing India to over 2-1 up in the series.
However, the former spinner of the national side, Kerry O’Keefe, has highlighted the pacer has a horror record at the SCG and that could adopt the management to go for horses of courses approach to selection for Sydney.
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“Starc, it hasn’t swung for anybody, but he has said I am good to bowl 20 overs tomorrow. He won’t play Sydney. That’s his worst ground statistically, Mitchell Starc. He averages 44 per wicket there; 44 that’s so high.” Kerry expressed on the Test Daily of Fox Cricket.
Kerry O’Keefe commanded to drop Mitchell Starc for Sydney Test
Mitchell Starc has taken just 24 wickets at over 44 in nine Test matches at the Sydney Cricket Ground, with the best figures of 3/25 in an innings and his 5/142 in the match over his 93-Test career and that could lead the management and the selectors to bring someone who is fresh and energetic and can bowl a lot on that surface.
The fellow NSW pacer, Sean Abbott, was called up to the squad for the MCG game, while Jhye Richardson was included for the first time in more than three injury-prone years.
The lanky pacer of the side, Josh Hazlewood, has already been out of the fixture with an injury after the third Test of the series at the Gabba in Brisbane. Abbott has been yet to debut in red-ball cricket but has picked up 261 first-class wickets in 87 games at an average of 30.38 and a strike rate of 58.70 with the help of eight five-wicket hauls and 12 four-wicket hauls at the best bowling figure of 7/45 in an innings.
O’Keefe believes that Mitchell Starc should look to focus all his effort on bowling Australia to victory at the MCG before getting a well-earned rest for the fifth in Sydney to prepare for the trip to Sri Lanka.
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“This is his day. He has got to fly in elastically over and over. He’s a factor. I’m all good. I’ll push on. It’s not something that’s bothering me. My pace is still up, I still bowled a spell after it, and I’m still in the low 140s (km/h). I’m not concerned. If I need to bowl 20 tomorrow, I’ll bowl 20.” The former NSW spinner expressed on the selection.
Mitchell Starc finished the ongoing year with the help of 30 Test wickets in nine games at an average of 30.73 and a strike rate of 49.57, with the best bowling figure of 6/48 in an innings.