Pat Cummins' fault? Mitchell Starc breaks silence on his run-out, provides fresh fitness update
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Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc opened up on his unfortunate run-out during the second innings of the Boxing Day Test against India in Melbourne. Starc was involved in a huge mix-up with his captain Pat Cummins and was found short of his crease.
Starc also had good news for Australia as he claimed to be fit enough to bowl on the fifth day of the Test match. Starc's availability is a huge sigh of relief for Australia who have already lost Josh Hazlewood earlier for the rest of the series.
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Mitchell Starc on his run-out with Pat Cummins
While speaking to ABC Sport, Mitchell Starc was asked about his unfortunate run-out with Pat Cummins. The left-arm quick joked around by saying that he can't run out Cummins since he is the captain.
"You can't run out the captain. Can you?" Starc exclaimed with the show host and the former Australia head coach Darren Lehmann standing alongside him.
"You can't run out the captain, can you?"😅
— ABC SPORT (@abcsport) December 29, 2024
🏏Mitchell Starc has made light of the runout situation with Pat Cummins, while he says he's "not concerned" about an apparent injury.
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Jasprit Bumrah bowled a good length ball on the stumps and Mitchell Starc pushed it through the leg side and set off for a run. Starc looked for a second run and even ran halfway down the mark only to be sent back by Cummins. The fielder at fine leg ran around and threw the ball to the wicketkeeper Rishabh Pant.
The throw wasn't at the right end but Pant was aware of the situation and already had his gloves off. He quickly threw the ball at the non-striker's end with a direct hit. Starc was found short of his crease and he knew it straight away.
Mitchell Starc's injury update
Meanwhile, Mitchell Starc also gave an update on his injury and claimed himself to be fit to bowl in the next innings. Starc further mentioned that the injury is not bothering him and he is still able to bowl at a good pace.
"I am all good for the second innings. (About injury) It's not something that's bothering me. My pace is still up. I still bowled a spell after it and I'm still in the low 140s, so, I'm not concerned," Starc said on the show.
"If I need to bowl 20 tomorrow, I'll bowl 20," the left-arm quick replied when asked about bowling multiple spells on Day 5.
Australia inch ahead at MCG
Australia are still ahead in the game as they finished Day 4 on a high. The hosts were 228-9 with Scott Boland and Nathan Lyon battling it out there with a superb 55-run unbeaten partnership for the last wicket.
It was an excellent partnership that has put Australia in a position where their bowlers can come out and attack on the final day. The home team currently leads by 333 runs which means India will have to bat out of its skin to reach closer to the target.
However, the Men in Blue are likely to go for the target and bat with intent even if the odds are against them. India have some aggressive batters in their line-up who can take the game away from Australia within a few overs.
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India National Cricket Team Australia National Cricket Team IND vs AUS India vs Australia AUS vs IND Australia vs India Border-Gavaskar Trophy ICC World Test Championship India tour of Australia Mitchell Starc Pat Cummins