Michael Clarke SLAMS Australia for dropping Mitchell Starc for win against Afghanistan… as chorus of former Aussie cricket greats questions the decision: ‘Absolutely no way you can leave him out’
- Mitchell Starc was a surprise omission from Australia’s win over Afghanistan
- Left-arm quick is Australia’s leading wicket taker in T20 World Cup history
- Starc was replaced by Kane Richardson, who finished 1-48 in four overs
- Pat Cummins retained his place despite calls for him to be dropped
- Australia need Sri Lanka to beat England tomorrow to make the semi-finals
- Click here for all your latest international sports news at Daily Mail Australia
Michael Clarke led a chorus of cricket greats who were left surprised by Australia’s decision to omit Mitchell Starc from Friday’s must-win clash against Afghanistan.
Australia went into the game at the Adelaide Oval needing an emphatic win to overcome England’ superior net run rate (NRR) ahead of Jos Buttler‘s final group game on Saturday.
But the defending champions only managed to scrape home by four runs, meaning that if England beat Sri Lanka at the SCG they will join New Zealand as the second semi-finalist to emerge from Group 1.
Mitchell Starc was surprisingly dropped by Australia for the game against Afghanistan
Starc was a surprise omission for the game against Afghanistan, with Kane Richardson replacing the left-armer in the team and the under-fire Pat Cummins retaining his spot.
‘Strange one. He [Starc] has got to be injured,’ Clarke, who captained Australia when they won the 2015 Cricket World Cup, said on commentary while discussing Starc’s absence.
‘There’s absolutely no way you can leave him out of tonight’s game. If anyone’s going to rip through Afghanistan’s batting it’s Mitchell Starc.
‘Left-arm, if it swings with the new ball and then we’ve seen his yorkers at the death. I don’t get it.’
Starc was replaced by Kane Richardson, who finished with figures of 1-48 in four overs
Michael Clarke was critical of the decision to drop Starc for such a crucial match
The former Aussie skipper wasn’t alone in being perplexed by the call.
‘Aussie team no Mitchell Starc. Is he injured or dropped?,’ tweeted former national selector Mark Waugh.
His fellow 1999 World Cup winner Tom Moody struck a similar tone: ‘Mitchell Starc dropped or just miss the team bus?’
Speaking on commentary, former Australia wicket-keeper Adam Gilchrist claimed that Starc had been ‘left out’ by Australian selectors, prompting a cryptic response from former teammate Shane Watson.
Former national selector Mark Waugh was surprised by the decision to leave out Starc
His fellow 1999 World Cup winner Tom Moody was similarly puzzled by the call
‘Are we going to go there?,’ the former all-rounder replied.
Aaron Finch and Tim David joined Starc on the sidelines but because of fitness problems, with the Aussie captain replaced by Cameron Green and Steve Smith coming in for David.
Starc’s omission, however, was far harder to justify. The left-arm quick was Australia’s co-leader in terms of wickets at this year’s tournament with three going into Friday night.
The 32-year-old’s 27 wickets in T20 World Cups are the most of any Australian bowler in the history of the tournament.
Pat Cummins (right) took a smart catch to remove Usman Ghani in the third over and finished with his tournament-best figures of 0-22 in four overs
The decision to leave Starc out was even more puzzling considering several high-profile pundits including Waugh and former Australia Test captain Ricky Ponting had called for Cummins to be dropped.
The latter went wicketless in his four overs with figures of 0-22, his best in the tournament so far, and took a smart catch.
Richardson, meanwhile created a tough chance with his first delivery, which Cameron Green dropped, and removed Rahmanullah Gurbaz two balls later.
That was as good as it got for him on his home ground, as the 31-year-old missed his length and finished his four overs with figures of 1-48.