Mitchell Starc's big statement on retirement plan, breaks silence on 2026 T20 World Cup availability

Australia's star fast bowler Mitchell Starc has spoken about his chances of playing in the next edition of T20 World Cup. Starc was part of the Australian squad in the recently-concluded T20 World Cup 2024, which was co-hosted by the USA and the West Indies. He played in five of Australia's seven matches but only managed to take five wickets. Australia ultimately failed to qualify for the semifinals, and Starc was surprisingly left out of the playing eleven for the crucial Super 8 match against Afghanistan. This decision came back to haunt Australia, who suffered a surprise defeat and were knocked out of the tournament.

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Starc, who will be nearly 37 by the time the next T20 World Cup rolls around in 2026, was recently asked about his availability for that tournament. The World Cup winner admitted he hasn't made a final decision yet.

"I don't know, probably I'll sit on the fence on that. I have not made my decision yet," said Mitchell Starch on the Willow Talk podcast.

Starc is a seasoned campaigner for Australia, having made his T20 debut back in 2010. Over the years, he's amassed an impressive record, playing in 65 T20 internationals and taking 79 wickets. His trophy cabinet isn't bare either – he was part of the victorious Australian team that lifted the T20 World Cup in 2021. And just before this year's World Cup, he was a key player in the Kolkata Knight Riders' championship run in IPL 2024.

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In the same interview, Mitchell Starc addressed being dropped for the crucial match against Afghanistan. This wasn't the first time he was left out for a game against this team in a T20 World Cup. Back in 2022, Kane Richardson was chosen over him, despite conceding a hefty 48 runs in his 4 overs. While Australia won that encounter by a narrow margin of 4 runs, their fortunes changed in the most recent World Cup. Starc's absence proved costly, as they fell short in their chase and ultimately missed out on the semifinals.

"Two World Cups in a row. Just the match-up, they saw previous games on that ground in St Vincent with spin playing a part and obviously Ash and the left-armer enticing them to make a change," Starc further added.

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