Former India cricketer Mohammad Kaif was heard on-air while commentary, critiquing Australia pacer Mitchell Starc and calling him over-rated. This happened during the Australia vs. New Zealand ICC World Cup 2023 match which was played at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala on October 28.
On Saturday (October 28), Australia played Trans-Tasman rivals New Zealand in Match No. 27 of the ongoing ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2023. In a high-scoring match at Dharamsala’s Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium.
Australia defeated the Kane Williamson-less New Zealand side by five runs. The Kiwis allowed Australia to bat first, and thanks to Travis Head’s century on his World Cup debut, they scored 388 runs in 49.2 overs.
Rachin Ravindra’s 116 and twin fifties from Daryl Mitchell and Jimmy Neesham kept the Black Caps in the game until the final ball, but they were beaten by a huge hit. Adam Zampa took three wickets for Australia, bringing his ODI World Cup 2023 tally to 16 wickets in six matches, the most by any bowler so far.
“Mitchell Starc Kaafi Overrated Hai”- Mohammad Kaif
Star pacer Mitchell Starc, for the first time in 24 ODI World Cup matches, failed to take a single wicket. The joint-third-leading wicket-taker in men’s 50-over megaevent history was totally out of touch on Saturday and got hammered for 89 runs in his quota of nine overs.
Irked by the 33-year-old left-arm pacer’s flop performance in Australia’s sixth match of the ongoing tournament, former Indian cricketer Mohammad Kaif, who was doing commentary during the Australia-New Zealand match, called him an overrated bowler who is always smashed by batters.
“Mitchell Starc kaafi overrated hai, meri nigaho mein. Bahut overrated Hai. Hamesha maar khate hai. Wicket kaha hai? Paanchva over hai aur 43 run kharch kiye hai. Raftaar aur swing hai par agar wickets ka column dekha jaaye toh itna naam-o-nishaan chord nahi paayein hai iss vishwa cup mein (Mitchell Starc is highly overrated. According to me, he is highly overrated. He always gets smashed. Where are the wickets? This is his fifth over, and he has already conceded 43 runs. He has speed and swing, but his wicket column is empty,” Kaif said live on-air during the 28th over of New Zealand batting.
Starc, who made his ODI World Cup debut in 2015 when the tournament was played in Australia and New Zealand, has finished as the leading wicket-taker in both the 2015 and 2019 editions of the ODI World Cups.
