Only 33 wickets at an average of 31.4 had been obtained during his previous three outings to England. He has picked up 19 at 27.5, managing his greatest wickets-haul, average, and strike rate (34), in this series.
A flash of magic was needed at that precise moment. When Mitchell Starc gently nudges into your consciousness, that is. He has been unproductive and unnoticeable for the majority of the game. Inability to control the swing under ominous clouds resulted in him magnificently wasting the fresh ball. 44 easy runs came off his first seven overs, and he did not appear like someone with 325 Test victories on their resume. His first seven overs were anxious and inconsistent, similar to those of a novice. He spent the majority of the morning with England supporters because he was forced to sit on the fence’s edge.
When the time comes for magic, though, all eyes turn to Starc. For much of the second session, Harry Brook and Moeen Ali had sliced Cummins and his colleagues to ribbons, scoring 111 runs in just 18 overs in their fourth wicket-stand. However, a limping Ali had died, providing the visitors with a fortuitous breakthrough and a sliver of hope. But Stokes strode in. And Cummins wasted no time in signalling Starc to release his limbs and joints. It was a crucial point in the game, with England cruising and Australia panicking, lacking both ideas and inspiration.
Cummins frequently goes to Starc in such scenarios in this series where there is little clarity or strategy. This series, when Cummins has been extremely chaotic and Josh Hazlewood has been surprisingly erratic, Starc has been the player to generate moments out of nowhere, from nothing. In the lost cause of Headingley, he was the only one who threatened to modify the script.
As the promise of enchantment swirled in the air, he steamed in with his tail high, his long legs striking the crease hard. The strain of the series had taken its toll on his left shoulder, which was now bandaged. However, he was present for one more spell of energy that crushed bones. The first eight balls were unremarkable; they were typical good-length balls that either angled across Brook’s right leg or shifted down the leg to Stokes’ left leg. He overstretched to conjure the unplayable ball during the first practise, trying too hard to swing the ball. Here, he was disposed to carve a precise line and a short, precise length. Stokes’ strategy was very evident when he came to bat: double-bluff him with the in-ducker and away-goer.
He squirted the first ball, which was full on leg, for a single. Stokes crunched forcefully to cover the second, a full-on off-stump. Without Alex Carey’s quick reflexes, the third would have been able to get over Stokes’ leg and reach the fence. Starc would have purposefully strayed down the leg in retrospect, urging Stokes to go leg-side.
Then, due to Starc’s bowling of balls with a more magical quality, the moment of near-magic occurred in order to dismiss the same batsman. He created an amazing ball at the 2019 World Cup that dislodged Stokes’ stumps. The ball swerved away, curled in, and veered just a tiny bit off the surface at a breakneck velocity. This one lacked such stunning visual effects; instead, it angled in and sailed away after landing to pound his stumps.
