Ace fast bowler Mitchell Starc admitted that he forgot to inform Australia’s T20I skipper Mitchell Marsh about his decision to retire from the format. The 35-year-old shocked the cricket fraternity by stepping away from the shortest format on Tuesday, September 2. He is focused on keeping his body ready for Test cricket and wants to play in the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Starc’s announcement drew significant attention from cricket enthusiasts, but it also took some of his teammates off guard. While the left-arm seamer informed head coach Andrew McDonald and fast-bowling partners Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, he admitted that he should have also kept Marsh in the loop.
The star all-rounder got to know about Mitchell Starc retirement through social media.
“I probably should have rang Mitchy. He texted me and said he found out through Instagram. I felt bad about that one — I didn’t tell the captain. Sorry, Mitchy,” Starc told Cricket.com.au.
“I did let them know, I did not ask them. I spoke to Ronnie (Andrew McDonald), and then told the two of them, I was done. Yeah, that was about it,” he added.
Starc finished with 79 wickets from 65 T20Is at an average of 23.81 and a strike rate of 18.46. He bowled his overs at a decent economy rate of 7.74. The Baulkham Hills-born ended as the second-highest wicket-taker for the Men in Yellow in the shortest format. He played five T20 World Cups, playing a key role in helping Aaron Finch’s men clinch the coveted title in 2021.
Starc’s retirement coincided with Australia’s squad announcement for the three-match T20I tour of New Zealand. The highly-anticipated series gets underway on October 1. All three matches will be played at Bay Oval, Mount Maunganui.
The Aussies will miss the services of Cameron Green, who has been allowed to focus on Sheffield Shield cricket. On the other hand, Nathan Ellis is skipping the series due to personal reasons. Matthew Short and Mitchell Owen are back in the side, and so is veteran all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, who missed recent tours.
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