Mitchell Starc, one of the best pacers of his time, avoids franchise cricket, including the Indian Premier League, to be at his “best” for Australia.
Starc wants more kids to play Test cricket for Australia, his first priority. The left-arm bowler has avoided T20 competitions like the IPL and Big Bash, unlike his teammates.
I loved the IPL and Yorkshire 10 years ago, but Australia will always be number one. “Money will come and go, but I’m very grateful for the opportunities,” Starc told The Guardian.
“Over 100 years of Test cricket and less than 500 men have played it for Australia, that in itself makes it very special to be a part of it.”
Australia places a higher value on test cricket participation than IPL.
“The conservative in me still hopes a generation of boys and girls desire to represent their nation in Test cricket. “But franchise cricket is the fast track to notoriety and easy money,” he continued.
The 33-year-old, who last played franchise cricket in 2015 for Royal Challengers Bangalore in the IPL, is focused on Test cricket for the foreseeable future.
“I’d certainly love to play in the IPL again, but my goal for a long time has been to be at my best for Australia, no matter the format,” Starc said.
Australia won their first World Test Championship on June 11 by 209 runs against India. Australia has won all ICC titles, including the ODI, T20, and Champions Trophy.
“Franchise cricket is great, but you can be bought or sold or traded in 12 months, whereas this is an opportunity [playing tests] that I’ve had over 10 years.””To pull on the baggy green with a lot of my close mates, guys I’ve grown up in the game,” Starc said.
Starc praised England for playing the Bazball under coach Brendon McCullum and skipper Ben Stokes but asked if they could do it against Australia in the Ashes.
Will they still be so aggressive with the Ashes on the line if we get classic English surfaces, which nip about, and overhead conditions? “We’ll see,” Starc remarked.