Mitchell starc ruled out of reminder of series;[update] Cummins called-up to replace Starc

[vayuu1]

 

Mitchell Starc ruled out final two Tests against India with stress fractures in his foot

 

March 10, 2017 5:32pm

 

Ben HorneThe Daily Telegraph

 

AUSTRALIA’S hopes of retaining the Border Gavaskar trophy have been dealt a catastrophic blow with No.1 strike weapon Mitchell Starc ruled out of the rest of the tour with a foot injury.

 

Starc is the most dangerous fast bowler in the world, particularly on sub-continental pitches he has made his speciality, and it’s hard to imagine a more devastating injury setback for a team already on the back foot after losing the second Test in Bangalore.

 

Australia are yet to nominate who the replacement quick will be, with Starc on his way back home to have treatment for a stress fracture in his right foot.

 

[https://amp-dailytelegraph-com-au]Starc injured his foot during the second Test in Bangalore.

 

It’s understood Starc should recover in time for the one-day Champions Trophy in June, but Australia’s bid to create drought-breaking history in India now looks like an almighty challenge.

 

“Mitchell experienced some pain in his right foot during the second Test in Bangalore, which unfortunately had not subsided a few days after the Test as we had hoped,” said CA physio, David Beakley.

 

“We made the decision to scan his foot in Bangalore this morning and unfortunately it has revealed a stress fracture.

 

“Subsequently, this means Mitchell will be unavailable for the remainder of the Tour of India and will return home to Australia to start his rehabilitation.”

 

CALLUS: wounded Lyon under fitness cloud

 

Jackson Bird is the third fast bowler already on tour and has performed strongly in the nets.

 

It would be expected he would slot straight in, however, CA may be tempted to roll the dice on calling up Pat Cummins who has just returned to first-class cricket.

 

CA has taken a long-term view with Cummins, and rushing him back to Test cricket so quickly would be a risk.

 

[https://amp-dailytelegraph-com-au]Bird is expected to replace Starc for the third Test.

 

However, he is one man who could adequately replace the game-breaking influence that Starc has in Test cricket.

 

Starc sparked the collapse in Pune that laid the platform for Australia’s victory, and in Bangalore he also broke through with back-to-back wickets on the last day that gave his side hope of achieving a fourth innings chase.

 

The left-armer has also been sensational with the bat down the order and his lower-order hitting in Pune was also critical.

 

CA says selectors will appoint a replacement in due course, with the third Test to kick-off in Ranchi on Thursday.

 

 

 

 

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Edited March 11, 2017 by BeautifulGame

[Sidhoni]

End of Aussie hopes with that

Edited March 10, 2017 by Sidhoni

[speedheat]

Oh my god feels sad for starc as he is one of my favorite !!! We have to be very careful with umesh and shami as this genuine quick guys are liable to injuries we as a fan often don't realised huge efforts this guys p puts on

[flat_wicket_bully]

I think Pat Cummins could replace him

[bowl_out]

Aah.. feel sad.. less aggression in Aus bowling.. was looking forward to seeing Starc in Dharamshala

[vayuu1]

 

Nah I have seen Jackson bird and he is certainly not as quick as hazlewood,let alone starc, more of 135-142 mould

 

 

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[Gollum]

 Wanted us to smoke their best XI. 

[BeautifulGame]

Feel sad for Starc.Never a good thing to see a player getting injured .

 

But honestly I huge boost for us .His batting was just as much scary as his bowling.

 

Can't think of a bigger set back for Aussies.I mentioned in the series preview thread their biggest challenge will be keeping Starc and Hazlewood fit for the who series .So kinda predictable really.

[Mosher]

****. Just when things were getting even more interesting. Wanted to see Starc in action after his great spell in the 2nd test. 

[flat_wicket_bully]

What I don't understand is how are so many players getting injured after the match. They all seem to be very fine during the match. Starc final spell was the fastest in the entire series and he couldn't have bowled that fast if he was injured

[bowl_out]

^^Maybe he got injured trying to bowl that fast and being super aggressive.. Such spells put a lot of strain on the body..

[speedheat]

What I don't understand is how are so many players getting injured after the match. They all seem to be very fine during the match. Starc final spell was the fastest in the entire series and he couldn't have bowled that fast if he was injured

 

 

I am quite sure this injury was a result of that fastest spell .. this test matches conditions and graveyard pitches takes lot out of genuine quicks if I was a fast bowler I would have stayed away from tests and stick to Odis and t20s just like malinga to have successful international carrier

[TheWall]

Fantastic bowler......

[rkt.india]

10 minutes ago, flat_wicket_bully said:

What I don't understand is how are so many players getting injured after the match. They all seem to be very fine during the match. Starc final spell was the fastest in the entire series and he couldn't have bowled that fast if he was injured

at times when you are playing, you dont realize the severity of such internal injuries because your body is warm. You have pain, you take pills and keep playing on.

[Masquerade]

Damn...hope he recovers well. 

 

Bird is more of a swing bowler really. He's not going to be suited for Ranchi but can be a threat in Dharamsala. Although, our batsmen have a penchant of getting out to random bowlers the first time they face them....

[CoverDrive]

SAd really. never happy with fast bowlers getting injured. I feel this is not going to have a series changing impact. sometimes replacement bowlers actually surprise with their performance in these cases

[MCGGG]

Not sure if Pattinson is injured or not, but if he isn't i give him the call up, he can bat a bit too.

[Mosher]

Fast bowlers bowling in test matches need to be "bullheaded" to keep bowling fast. This is even more true for the quick bowlers from the sub-continent to keep running in and bowling fast in hot weather and unresponsive pitches. Add to that the risk of getting injured. No wonder some promising quicks turn into trundlers after few gruelling seasons in domestic cricket.

[sensible-indian]

This is really sad news. 

 

Just when the series was getting super interesting......

[Chandan]

https://goo.gl/V5FCdj

 

WHO GETS FLOWN IN?

Pat Cummins returned to first class cricket for the first time in six years this week and could barely have had a more impressive audition for a potential call up.

He bowled with impressive pace and got good bounce out of the SCG track, claiming 4-57 in the first innings and backing it up with 4-47 in the second.

Cummins had a stunning Test debut as an 18 year old back in 2011, taking a six-wicket haul against South Africa.

Injuries have plagued him since but he was ecstatic with his performance this week.

“I absolutely loved the last four days,” Cummins said.

“The only thing I was nervous about was trying to find that four-day rhythm.

“The ball came out really well for me, and I felt like I was able to bowl pretty consistently.

“I loved the challenge of coming back each day and bowling four days in a row.

“It was a tough four days but really satisfied with the result. It was pretty much what I had dreamed about.”

Speaking before news of Starc’s misfortune, Cummins was thinking ahead to a Test return for the Ashes this summer.

“Hopefully at the start of next summer I can play the first couple of Shield games and hopefully push for a spot in the Ashes side, but for now I’m just happy to be back playing.”

James Pattinson could also be in the frame. The Victorian has played 17 Tests in a stop-start career, with latest low coming when he hurt his back on the tour of New Zealand last year.

Another contender would be West Australia’s Jason Behrendorff, who recently bagged 14 wickets in a match against Victoria and has 31 wickets for the summer at the ridiculous average of 15.90.

South Australia’s Chadd Sayers, who was drafted into the Australian Test squad over the summer but failed to get a cap, would also be in the mix as the Shield’s leading wicket-taker with 50.

HOW DOES IT SHAPE AUSTRALIA’S ATTACK FOR RANCHI?

Darren Lehmann has much to think about in the next week before the third Test against Ranchi, starting on Thursday.

The third paceman in the squad, Jackson Bird, has been unused through the first two Tests and could feasibly come in as a straight swap for Johnson.

However as a steady right-armer, Bird’s role is similar to that offered by the world’s top-ranked quick Josh Hazlewood and would leave the Australian pace attack looking somewhat one-dimensional.

Lehmann could also rush in whichever paceman is flown over to India in the coming days, or he could go radical.

Depending on what pitch is offered up in Ranchi, the option to play with three frontline spinners could surface.

It is not as outrageous as it initially sounds, with Australia reportedly tempted by that very option when they confronted the first Test wicket in Pune.

 

On that occasion it was Hazlewood who would going to make way for a third spinner, rumoured to be Ashton Agar, but he will take over the top dog mantle for the rest of the series.

Complicating matters is the injury to Mitch Marsh, who filled the all-rounder role for the opening two Tests and has a stronger reputation with the ball than the man flown in to replace him, Victoria’s Marcus Stoinis.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN FOR STARC?

This is not the first time Starc has suffered a stress fracture to the right foot, and it’s not a good sign for the 197cm quick.

He suffered a similar injury in November 2015 during the inaugural day-night Test in Adelaide.

He would go on to have surgery on his right ankle — which has also caused him enormous trouble over the years — and missed seven months of cricket.

While that would be an absolute worst-case scenario, a similar recovery mission would not have him return for Australia until just before the Ashes at the end of the year.

At this stage team officials remain optimistic they’ll have Starc available for the Champions Trophy in England in June.

Starc also had surgery in 2013 to remove bone spurs from his right ankle.

Injuries to the feet and lower limbs in general are never good news for people of Starc’s height.

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Massive blow for Australia this series, no doubt. Blow for spectators too who wanted to watch good fast bowling and good contests between bat and ball. I just wish Starc well and hope he recovers as soon as possible.