Mitchell Starc lacked the incisiveness in the first Test. (Source: AP)Former Australia pacer Mitchell Johnson has lent his support to fellow fast bowler Mitchell Starc to help him rediscover his killer instinct before the second Test against India. Starc picked up 5 wickets in the Adelaide Test. However, he did struggle with his line and length. Johnson also took a close look at Starc’s body language and expressed his displeasure, calling for some more aggression.
“Everyone operates in a different way and I’ve already sent him a couple of text messages to see if he wants to catch up and have a chat about things because I have worked with him in the past and you get to know people really well,” Johnson was quoted as saying on BBC’s Stumps podcast.
“It just looked like there was something on his mind, something’s not quite clicking. We’ll sit down hopefully before the Perth Test match starts,” Johnson said.
“It’s probably going to be a pretty quick and bouncy wicket as well. That could really get (Starc) alive and going. All I would say to him is he’s just got to have that belief in himself and get involved in the game and I guess have that presence,” said Johnson. I know what he’s capable of – we all know what he’s capable of,” Johnson added.
“He’s just not swinging the ball at the moment. I feel like he might be slightly underdone. He has been out with injuries and he’s sort of come back. I don’t feel like he’s got that rhythm at the moment,” Johnson observed.
“The Mitchell Starc I know, he runs in, he’s got that real good rhythm in his run up, he’s running in fast, he’s got that presence about him, he has a good follow through where he’s in the batsman’s face, he’s involved in the game.
“He is swinging it, he’s bowling bouncers, he’s aggressive – or that controlled aggression anyway. We’re just not seeing that,” he concluded.
