Australian legend Ricky Ponting recalled a fiery spell of Mitchell Starc to Sachin Tendulkar early in his career which made him realise that the young prodigy will make it big in international cricket. Starc had made 'Master Blaster' uncomfortable with his sheer pace and bounce. As the left-arm pacer bagged the fastest five-wicket haul in Test cricket history, Ponting recalled when he played alongside "extra special" Starc.
“I think that was reassurance for all of us that there was probably something extra special there for Mitchell Starc," Ponting said on the ICC review.
"I remember he was bowling a spell to Sachin Tendulkar and was able to bowl a short one, get up under Sachin's armpit and Sachin just sort of knocked one into short leg.
"When you could see that sort of pace and bounce and have someone like Sachin not be able to cope with it, I think that was the reassurance for all of us that there was probably something extra special there for Mitchell Starc."
Starc made his first-class debut for New South Wales in 2009 at the age of 19. In two years' time, he was fast-tracked in Australian set-up and handed his Baggy Green at the Gabba, Brisbane against New Zealand.
"He's really now stacking up an amazing career - over 400 Test match wickets," Ponting stated.
"I think everyone who laid eyes on him as a youngster understood that there was every possibility he could be a 100-Test match, 400 or 500-wicket fast bowler for Australia.
"He's got to be 6'5". He's always had pace on his side - consistently bowling in the high 140s, even touching 150 km/h. He's always had the ability to swing the new ball back into the right-handers."
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Starc, the pink-ball magician
Starc recently played his 100th Test against the West Indies. In his milestone Test, he broke the back of West Indies batting lineup to complete 400 wickets in the longest format. The 35-year-old has a very impressive record in pink-ball Tests, where he has claimed 81 wickets in 13 Tests, with an average of 17. His strike rate of 34 is the best among pacers who have bowled more than 100 overs in pink-ball Tests.
Ponting hails Starc for choosing country over club
Ponting also highlighted the longevity of Starc's career, crediting the fast bowler for making disciplined decisions and prioritising international cricket over Indian Premier League (IPL) and other franchise leagues to manage his workload.
"He's made a lot of decisions to give himself the best opportunity for a long-term international career," Ponting said. "He stepped away from IPL tournaments when bigger commitments with Australia were on the horizon.
"He's got better and better. Skill-wise and mentally, I think he understands his body, understands his game probably better than ever."
Starc is placed at no.4 in the Australian wicket-takers tally with 402 wickets so far. The tally is set to improve with The Ashes on Australian soil starting later this year.