Starc reminder: Mitchell Starc calls on groundsmen to prepare spicy wickets as Aussies prepare for Bazball battle

Mitchell Starc has urged groundsmen across the country to forget about the potential revenue earned from five-day Tests and focus on preparing traditional pitches after he roared back to form with four wickets in the Sheffield Shield. The left-arm quick claimed 4-91 off 18 overs on day one against Victoria who reached 7-340 at stumps at the SCG, with Starc sending down a fiery spell after lunch on what he said was a “docile” deck. The friendly batting conditions allowed Sam Harper to tee off in the first over after tea as he clubbed 22 runs – including two sixes which resulted in a lost ball – before Starc got his revenge on the final ball. Starc said it felt like T20 cricket during that wild over which could be a taste of things to come with England set to unleash their Bazball tactics in Perth next week. But the veteran quick has called on curators to prepare lively pitches even if it means Tests only last a few days which would be a financial blow for officials who want to see games last as long as possible. “No doubt (we’ll see that from England) especially if they prepare docile wickets like this. We know the way they’re trying to play their cricket so we’ll worry about it next week,” Starc said after play. “I hope the groundsmen stick to their guns and prepare the wickets they want. “If we’re worried about five days of revenue then there are bigger problems at hand.” Victorian batter Peter Handscomb survived Starc’s fiery spells on his way to 104 and hoped to see more of that over summer. “He got up for that, that was quality bowling from him,” he said, proud of how opener Campbell Kellaway handled the bouncer barrage. “After lunch, Starcy fired up a bit there and got the ball whizzing through. With the summer of cricket coming up, that’s exciting to see.” This was Starc’s first red ball match since the tour of the West Indies in July where he claimed astonishing figures of 6-9 in the fourth innings of the third Test. He picked up three wickets in the recent ODI series against India but conceded he wasn’t at his best and that he spent last week looking at footage to uncover what was wrong. While he didn’t want to say what it was, Starc is confident that he’s nearing his best a week out from the biggest series of the summer. “It was probably my longest layoff injury free for a long time,” he said. “I was trying to find my rhythm through the ODIs because I felt like something wasn’t quite clicking there, but it felt pretty close today so I’m reasonably happy. “I think the break was a good thing, but I tend to be someone who (needs) continuous bowling to keep me in rhythm. “I think I have (worked out what wasn’t clicking). I couldn’t quite put my finger on it and was trying to work it out during the ODIs so I resorted to a bit of footage during the week. “I’ve just been speaking to Ronnie (Australia coach Andrew McDonald) just then and I think I’ve sorted it out. Now it’s about getting the engine going again. “I asked for a side-by-side of the spell in Jamaica and the spell in Adelaide to work out what was different because I couldn’t pick up too much in the action. “I felt like I was pretty close, and again today I felt like I was even closer so now it’s about getting miles in the legs and having the engine turned over spell after spell.”