Mitchell Starc Didn’t Want To Play The Test Series Against India Last Summer; Alyssa Healy Reveals Why

Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc’s wife and women’s cricketer Alyssa Healy has revealed that the left-arm pacer didn’t want to play Test cricket last summer but wanted to spend time with his father. His dad Paul was suffering from cancer. Hence, Mitchell Starc desired to stay with him at home.

However, Paul convinced Mitchell to play in the four-Test series against India dubbed the Border-Gavaskar Trophy in 2020-21. Unfortunately, despite Starc’s best efforts and not for the lack of trying from the Australian team, India prevailed 2-1 in the series, which was their second straight Test series win in Australia, after their triumph in the 2019 series.

Mitchell Starc Didn’t Want To Be There Playing Cricket: Alyssa Healy

Unfortunately, Paul passed away due to cancer earlier this year in February. Just three months before that, India landed in Australia to compete with the hosts in all three formats of the game. Mitchell was reluctant to play due to personal reasons but represented the Aussies upon his father’s request.

“Mitch didn’t want to be there playing cricket. He wanted to be sitting next to his Dad, and spending the last three months that he could possibly have with his Dad. Paul didn’t want that, he wanted Mitch to go out there, play for Australia and wear his baggy green with pride,” Alyssa Healy said in a chat with 7Cricket.

For Mitchell Starc it was a poor series to boot for as per his standards, as he scalped 11 wickets in the series, with eight of them coming in the first two matches. As the Australians lost the Test series, fans slammed Starc for his below-par performance.

“To have to deal with what was going on behind the scenes and play Test cricket on the biggest arena is not easy. Mitch copped a lot of flak for bowling the way he did last summer but those people who were laying into him had no concept of what was going on behind the scene,” Alyssa Healy added.

Starc will be seen in action when Australia flies to UAE and Oman for the ICC T20 World Cup 2021, as he has been named in the Australian squad.

Also Read: ECB To Give Its Final Decision On The Ashes Tour By End Of This Week, Board Hints At Possibility Of Postponement