Former Australian skipper Tim Paine feels that Pat Cummins-led side could bring back Mitchell Starc for the second Ashes Test against England instead of Scott Boland. Paine believes that Boland will be given rest for the second Test which will be played at the Lord's from June 28.
Australia pulled off a thrilling two-wicket victory over England in the Ashes 2023 series opener at Edgbaston on Tuesday (June 20) which gave them a 1-0 lead in the five-match encounter. When the chips were down at 227/8 and the Australian batters surrendered before the English bowlers, it was Cummins who paired up with Nathan Lyon and won the game for the visitors. Australia, who were handed a 281-run target, began a rain-delayed Day 5 on 107/3. But wicket kept tumbling and the match went to the wire. The dazzling duo of Cummins and Lyon stitched a match-winning partnership of 55 runs off 72 balls for the ninth-wicket with Cummins and Lyon chipping in with 44 off 73 and 16 off 28 respectively.
While it is normal for teams to rotate their fast bowlers during a series, resting Boland would be a risk given his strong performance in the first Test.
If we look at Starc's Ashes portfolio, he as snared 74 wickets at an average of 27.46 in a total of 18 encounters. Not just this, he also has amassed 517 runs at an average of 25.85 in Ashes Tests against England, which makes him more lethal.
Notably, Starc was dropped from the the just concluded WTC final against India as Australia preferred Boland over him. However Australia went on to clinch the title as they defeated India by 209 runs. Boland made the most of the opportunity and put up a show with the ball in the WTC final. In the Ashes 2023 series opener, he could only manage to take two wickets for Australia's winning cause.
Speaking to the SEN podcast 'Whateley', as quoted by Sportskeeda, Paine suggested that the pacers would be rotated given the workload and Starc could come in place for Boland.
"It's critical when you are playing in a five-match series, we are playing six Test matches in six weeks, so there is no doubt that those fast bowlers are going to be rotated. I think they will bring Starc in for Boland," Paine said.
"Again not dropping Scott Boland, he has been unbelievable but we need all of these bowlers to play a role at some stage in these Ashes. I think the only guy they will try and get through the five Tests is obviously our captain Pat Cummins," he added.
Paine also said that Starc can be be a potent weapon against the English team, given their current form.
"I am really excited to see Mitchell Starc play again because of the way England are batting. I think with his extra airspeed and the different angles he can create from over and around the wicket with them being super-positive, he is going to create so many opportunities. So that's going to be awesome to watch. He also will bring Nathan Lyon into the game even more with his footmarks. But if they produce a wicket that gives any assistance to the bowlers, Scott Boland is probably the first pick," Paine concluded.
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