Mitchell Starc is fit again and raring to take the field

Australian speedster Mitchell Starc is all set to take the field again after a long 6-months gap. He is a part of the 15-member Australian squad for the tri-series that involves West Indies and South Africa as the other two teams.

Starc was out of action since November last year when he endured an ankle injury during the first-ever day-night Test against New Zealand. The injury saw him miss out on the ICC World T20 in India and subsequently the IPL as well. In a recent interview, his teammate Joe Burns had quoted Starc to be fit and raring to go. Now the pacer himself has admitted the fact and confirmed he is all set to go out all guns blazing.

Starc said, “It’s been a long time coming. The foot has been great, there’s no pain in the ankle or the foot,”

He said that he has had good training sessions at the gym which have shaped him up really well in terms of fitness. “I’ve had a good three or four months in the gym to get a bit of size back on, and I’m feeling really good; fit, strong and ready to play some cricket,” quoted Starc.

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However, the speedster maintained that clocking the top speeds straight away might be a difficult task. But ensured he will be back to his best after a couple of games for sure. “I’m not sure if I’ll be back up to top speed straight away, it might take a couple of games as it normally does for fast bowlers coming back, but I’m excited to see how it comes out on the gun,” said a realistic sounding Starc.

When asked if he will be a part of the starting eleven in all the fixtures of the tournament, he said the decision will be left to the team management. For him, all that matters at the moment is to play international cricket again. “I’m sure they’ll manage everyone with how the body is going. I just want to get through this first tour and play some cricket again after six months out,” said the Aussie speedster.

“It’s seven games if we make the final and whether I play all seven or they talk to me about how it’s going, that sort of thing, we’ve got a good squad of cricketers and some good fast bowlers,” he added further.

He cited that getting a few wickets under his belt first up would certainly be a good thing and his focus is at winning matches for the team. “First and foremost have to get the first game back under the belt, take a few wickets and help Australia win the game. If I can do that, the rest will fall in place,” he conceded.

Australia will take on West Indies in their first match of the series on June 5.