How a brutal sledge from cricket legend Shane Warne a DECADE ago spurred Aussie quick Mitchell Starc to new heights
The late Shane Warne was never one to mince his words – and labelling Mitchell Starc ‘soft’ a decade ago could have broken the Aussie quick.
Warne later clarified his comments, adamant he was referring to the left-arm paceman’s soft body language in a Test match against India.
But in the eyes of many cricket fans, the damage was done – and it was up to Starc to respond.
Fast forward to 2024 and Starc, 34, leads Australia’s attack – and has 369 Test wickets to his name.
He is also approaching 100 Test matches for his country – and while Starc will never publicly admit Warne got under his skin, his statistics following the spray tell the story.
According to News Corp, before Starc was called out by Warne in 2014, his career read 45 wickets from 14 Tests at an average 36.
The late Shane Warne was never one to mince his words – and labelling Mitchell Starc ‘soft’ a decade ago could have broken the Aussie quick
Rather than bite back, Starc went away and worked on his game – he now has 369 Test wickets to his name and is closing in on 100 red-ball appearances for Australia
His post Warne sledge career is impressive – 77 Tests and 324 wickets at 26.
At the time a blunt Starc told reporters: ‘he [Warne] is getting paid to talk [in commentary], and I’m getting paid to play cricket.’
He then added: ‘Warnie’s been on my back for years, so I’m not too worried about it.’
It comes as Starc looms as a key figure for the hosts in the third Test from the Gabba which starts on Saturday.
He will take the new ball in Brisbane, with Josh Hazlewood returning to the XI at the expense of Scott Boland.
Meanwhile, batter Marnus Labuschagne has responded to recent criticism from ex teammate David Warner, who suggested the Queenslander is displaying a ‘lack of awareness’ at the crease.
‘I’d like to see him [Warner] check how many times I’ve been caught at gully, because apparently I get out there every week,’ a fired up Labuschagne said.
‘And I’ve looked back and I can only remember getting caught at gully twice.
‘[It seems] everyone’s here to write articles…at the end of the day, I’m not here to please everyone. I’m here to win games for Australia.’
