I knew he didn’t want to, but he was shy and still relatively new to the set-up, and he didn’t want to ruffle any feathers. As it turned out, Mitch struggled with injuries for quite a few years after that, and it wasn’t until 2016 that he got to play in one.
Mitch is a lot stronger with his views now, and more confident to express them. But he has always had great self-awareness about his priorities and what he needs to do to prepare for games.
Starc cleans up Tillakaratne Dilshan in Hobart. He was rotated out of the team for the next Test.Credit: AP
He was only 22 when he rejected offers to play in the IPL to get ready for the 2013 Ashes, and he’s sacrificed millions of dollars since then to make sure he’s at his best when he’s playing for Australia. There’s a lot to admire about that.
That self-awareness has been one of the secrets of his success, and the reason he’s bowling 145km/h at the age of 35.
I remember being around the commentary set-up when Shane Warne started getting stuck into Starcy. Warnie felt his body language was flat, and just kept going harder and harder at him. The dynamic between past players who are paid to have opinions and the current team can be tricky, but I remember thinking, he’s really lining him up here.
No one likes to be criticised, and I’m sure Starcy didn’t enjoy it, but having said that he probably wasn’t quite at his best from a skills perspective – maybe his body language was a bit flat, and maybe he took some of it on board.
Mitchell Starc celebrates after dismissing Will Jacks in Adelaide.Credit: Getty Images
He was in the messy middle phase of his career where you’re copping it from critics, the opposition is working you out a bit more, and your love of the game is really challenged. I can empathise with that because I went through it, myself.
But you get through it to that beautiful place where you are completely in control of your skills, and you don’t care what anyone else says. Starcy is 100 per cent in that place now.
Loading
From a physical point of view, there’s no reason Mitch can’t make it to the 2027 Ashes; he’s retired from T20 internationals so he has a bit more time between matches, and it will just be a case of whether he still has the desire.
Judging from how pumped up he was after taking Jamie Smith’s wicket in Adelaide, when he tried to slog and hit it up in the air, there’s no sign of his desire waning.
Mike Hussey played 79 Tests for Australia and is commentating for Fox Cricket and Kayo this summer.
News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.
