Follow UsAustralia fast bowler Mitchell Starc believes that the Kangaroos’ poor showing in the 2024 T20 World Cup was not down to Indian Premier League (IPL) fatigue, and is of the opinion that it was more the windy nature of the Caribbean Islands that played a part in their downfall.
A whopping 11 of Australia’s 15 players in the T20WC squad featured in IPL 2024. The game against India saw nine of Australia’s starting XI come on the back of two months of IPL cricket, with the only exceptions being Josh Hazlewood and Adam Zampa.
But reflecting on Australia’s 2024 T20WC campaign, where they got knocked out in the Super 8s, Starc said that IPL fatigue had nothing to do with the Kangaroos’ poor showing.
“You can’t put it down to IPL fatigue. Those of us who go to IPL know that we’ve got cricket before and after and during,” Starc said of Australia’s exit in T20WC 2024, speaking on the ‘Willow Talk’ podcast.
“I think wind always plays a big role in the West Indies. At all the grounds, wind plays a big role, especially when it comes to hitting to a short or long side - in the direction the wind blows. Maybe that had something to do with some of the catching throughout the tournament, not just with us but throughout the tournament.”
The loss against India sealed Australia’s fate, but, really, it was the defeat to Afghanistan in St Vincent that effectively knocked the Kangaroos out of the competition.
There, the 2021 champions made a controversial call to drop Starc from the starting XI, and the move backfired, with the Aussies not striking with the new ball. Afghanistan’s openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran added 118 for the first wicket on a tricky surface, and that pretty much set up victory for the Rashid Khan-led side.
Starc said that, while he was not pleased to be left out, he had no option but to live with the call. He asserted that Afghanistan deserved to win regardless, since they were the better team on the night.
“They saw previous games in that ground, in St Vincent, being spin friendly. And obviously Ashton [Agar] being a left-armer enticed them into making the change. It is what it is. I think Ash bowled pretty well in the powerplay.
“But they played spin pretty well and assessed the conditions better than what we did. We had a couple of stumbles that, in the end, cost us the game. Ultimately, they played better cricket.”
The Aussies were back out on the field less than 36 hours after the defeat to Afghanistan, playing a day game against India in St Lucia. Starc, needless to say, was not a big fan of the scheduling.
It was a pretty hectic schedule for everyone in the Super 8s. I think that [the scheduling] was probably a misread - the fact that the front half of the tournament was spread out, and then you got the Super 8s and everything was jammed up.
“We played three games on three different islands. Two night games and the third was a day game. It wasn’t the best preparation. The scheduling could have been better for everyone, because everyone was playing, traveling, playing.”
The 34-year-old then reflected on the hammering he received at the hands of Rohit Sharma in the clash against India. Rohit took apart Starc in that contest, smashing 33 runs off 12 balls. 29 of those runs came in a single over, the third of the match.
“He had a good tournament, especially the back end. He targeted the wind in St Lucia well. It was probably the one end that went for more runs [in the game against India]. I probably bowled five bad balls and he [Rohit] hit them all for six.”
If you’ve not downloaded the Cricket.com app yet, you’re missing out — big time. Play Fantasy on Cricket.com NOW! Download the App here.