Starc warns England to be ready for the heat

LONDON: Mitchell Starc has told England there will be no let-up when they face Australia’s pace attack in the first Ashes Test in Cardiff on Wednesday.

The left-arm fast bowler took nine wickets in Australia’s final warm-up match as they defeated county side Essex over the weekend and Starc is now set to be an increasingly important figure following the injury-enforced retirement of fellow-paceman Ryan Harris.

But with Australia’s squad also including another leftarm fast bowler in Mitchell Johnson, as well as emerging right-ar m seamer Josh Hazlewood, the 25-year-old Starc is looking forward to seeing England’s top-order batsmen unsettled by pace and movement.

“Having some guys who can bowl some good heat — and we can swing it — it is always good to see those batsmen jumping around and making life hard for them,” said Starc, who had a brief spell with Yorkshire during 2012. “When you have a few guys who can consistently bowl over 140kph (87mph), that is great to have because there is no respite.

“We will have Mitch Johnson coming in, who has terrorised England in Australia, then Josh and I are following on and can hopefully both push it up a decent pace as well.”

Starc, Australia’s man of the tournament in the World Cup, added he had increased his pace and that would help him combat the effect of unresponsive pitches. “I have probably gained a yard or two but for me it is that consistency, which is what I was questioned about for a long time and tried to find,” he said. “There is that confidence in myself now that in a pretty dead, lifeless wicket I can produce consistently.