Ashes 2019 | Australia missed Mitchell Starc at Headingley, reckons Ricky Ponting

After an unlikely last-wicket partnership by the English batsmen left Australian bowlers in despair, former Ashes winning captain Ricky Ponting believes it could have ended different had Mitchell Starc been a part of the playing XI. The pace bowler had run rampant in the World Cup picking 27 wickets but is yet to be given a chance in the ongoing Ashes series amidst intense competition within the team.

“I must admit, as the game was sort of slipping away the other day the only image I had in my head was Starc bowling Stokes at The Oval in that World Cup with a yorker right at the base of off-stump,” Ponting was quoted as saying by cricket.com.au, reported Hindustan Times.

Tailender Jack Leach managed to face 17 balls without losing his wicket, while Ben Stokes’ onslaught that saw him hit eight sixes en route to his unbeaten 135 saw the bowlers being dispatched to all parts of the ground, without a clue on how to get him out.

“And even someone like (No.11) Jack Leach, I’m not sure he would have been that keen on facing Mitchell Starc at 150kph with the ball reversing back onto his toes either,” Ponting added.

As many as four fast bowlers have already represented the Kangaroos so far in the series. While Pat Cummins has played all the four matches and rightly so being the world’s number one bowler by a distance, James Pattinson, Peter Siddle and Josh Hazlewood have played two games each. In the latest match, Hazlewood picked up nine wickets compared to Pattinson’s three, making the latter the likely scapegoat in case of a change.

“Cummins won’t be coming out of the side. I think if they look at making a change I think it will have to be Pattinson again. Hazlewood, with the exception of his spell with the second new ball in the second innings, I’m not sure I’ve seen him bowl better than that. That was outstanding from him. Patto , as the game went on I thought he got better. When it looked like he had his rhythm I thought he was really good,” Pattinson added.

Starc will get a chance to earn his place in the tour game against Derbyshire ahead of the fourth Test and Ponting believes he will need to have a defining performance to have any chance of breaking into the XI.

“But I think they’ll see how goes in Derby. If he doesn’t bowl the house down there I think they’ll be reluctant to make change,” Ponting concluded.