Australia’s Mitchell Starc celebrates with teammates after taking the wicket of England’s Jofra Archer. Photo: REUTERS
MELBOURNE:
The wealth of experience in Australia’s ranks helped them remain calm in a difficult lead-up to the Ashes, fast bowler Mitchell Starc said after they defeated England on Sunday to win the series with two matches to spare.
Australia wrapped up an 82-run win on day five of the third test in Adelaide to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series and retain the urn, putting an end to the criticism of the team’s age profile that dominated the pre-Ashes discussion.
Starc said it was Australia’s know-how that proved crucial when injuries to captain Pat Cummins and paceman Josh Hazlewood left them in a precarious position ahead of the first test in Perth.
“(Injuries) certainly didn’t change the way that the group approached things heading into Perth. A lot was made about how old the group is and how experienced they are,” he told reporters.
“Perhaps that’s played into our hands, with having been through some good times, and some not so good times over the course of our careers together. Things have never gotten too high or low. If we haven’t had a good day, it’s pretty easy to move on from and learn from.
“For guys that have come in, less experienced or younger, I think that the freedom to express themselves as players but also learn from that experience has been beneficial in the way we’ve played our cricket.”
Starc led Australia’s bowling attack in the absence of Cummins and Hazlewood, bowling 95.5 overs and taking a series-leading 22 wickets across the first three matches.
The 35-year-old said his decision to retire from Twenty20 internationals and focus on test cricket had allowed him to perform at his best, adding: “I’ve made decisions with my body in mind, test cricket has always been the priority…
“It’s all very individual, and I’ve had some good people around me in strength and conditioning trainers and the sports science guys. I’ve got them to thank a lot for that and it’s been a lot of time that I’ve put into my body myself.
“I’m glad that it’s going the way it is at the moment. It’s probably not always going to be that way, so just enjoying it at the moment.”
The fourth test of the series begins on December 26 in Melbourne.
Stokes seeks positives
Captain Ben Stokes believes England can build on the positives from their loss in the third Ashes test to Australia in Adelaide as they look to claim the country’s first win Down Under in almost 15 years in the series’ two remaining tests.
Australia’s victory at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday ensured they retain the urn with an unassailable 3-0 series lead but an improved England batting performance in their second innings has given Stokes hope for the matches in Melbourne and Sydney.
“I think some individuals have probably actually learned a lot more about themselves throughout this week than they did maybe a week or two ago,” he said.
“But there were a lot of positives to be able to take out of this game, and for us to be able to build on and take forward, not only into the two games left in the series, but also how cricket looks in the future.
“We had guys going out there and in some pretty high-pressure moments, and I thought they stood up very, very well. I think some individuals have learned a bit more about themselves this week.
“It’s obviously hard to look at it with too much positivity at the moment, because there’s a lot of emotion to attach with what’s going on and where we are.”
England have struggled throughout the series and the team’s management has been widely criticised for the lack of preparation for the conditions in Australia.
But the performance in Adelaide, where England lost by 82 runs, has provided a sliver of hope that the tourists can win a test in Australia for the first time since victory in Sydney in January 2011 earned the English a 3-1 Ashes series win.
“I think there’s so much more clarity and an understanding about when guys are walking out there to bat or when guys are coming to bowl, about what is needed right now,” said Stokes.
“‘What do I need to do? And what does my execution need to look like?’ But then it’s about going out there and delivering that and (if you’re) not able to execute that for good enough or long enough, then you get punished.”
