Mitchell Starc is not keen on the attention he is receiving ahead of his 100th test but the Australia fast bowler says it has been a privilege to pull on the ‘baggy green cap’ so many times.
Starc will become just the second Australian fast bowler after Glenn McGrath to play 100 tests in the third and final match against West Indies in Kingston on Sunday, with a series sweep on the line in the day-night contest.
Much of the build-up has focused on the looming milestone but the 35-year-old just wants the match to start.
“No, I don’t like it. Get on with the cricket,” a smiling Starc told reporters.
“Same as every other week, I guess. No, a chance to win another test match away from home, which is never easy to do.”
The left-arm quick made his test debut against New Zealand in late 2011 and went on to establish himself as a key cog in Australia’s pace attack.
“Growing up, I was always wanting to pull on the baggy green. I didn’t think I’d play one game, but to have 99 chances to do that has been a real privilege,” he said.
Starc took time to find his feet in test cricket but appeared to hit his stride after 2015, with batters in the longest format struggling against his swing and bounce.
“I was either in and out or not good enough or injured. So it’s a pretty stop-start to the first portion of test cricket,” Starc said.
“I had a bit of success along the way in white-ball cricket and got a bit more comfortable how things were going bowling-wise and started to put the pieces together with a few tools in red ball cricket and then had a bit of an extended run there.”
Starc is five test wickets away from becoming the fourth Australian player to take 400. McGrath is the country’s most successful fast bowler with 563 wickets in 124 tests.
“I’ve always been lucky enough to have a bit of air speed, so it was kind of harnessing the rest around that,” he said.
“I guess early doors, I had the ability to swing the new ball and bowl fast, but didn’t have a lot through the period where the ball didn’t do anything.
“Then to be able to bowl in different facets of the game, different conditions around the world – it’s probably helped me get as far down the track as I have.”
