Australian left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc is getting into a decent rhythm ahead of the World Cup after recently making a comeback from a short injury-forced hiatus. Starc picked up a hat-trick in Australia's first warm-up match of the 2023 ICC ODI World Cup on Saturday (September 30) at the Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram.
He recently returned to action during the last ODI of the three-match series against India on Wednesday (September 27) in Rajkot. Mitchell Starc bowled an expensive spell on comeback as he conceded 53 runs in his seven overs, picking up just the one wicket of KL Rahul. Indian captain Rohit Sharma played aggressively against him in the powerplay by smashing him for a couple of sumptuous sixes on the off-side.
Starc put it behind him and turned up the heat on Saturday with a magnificent new ball spell against the Netherlands. He destroyed the Dutch top order by dismissing Max O'Dowd, Wesley Barresi, and Bas de Leede off consecutive deliveries.
Australia batted first in the rain-affected contest and made 166/7 in 23 overs. In response, the Netherlands reached 84/6 in 14.3 overs before rain intervened in the proceedings. Match officials called off the game after a while due to unrelenting showers.
Fans took note of Mitchell Starc's impressive bowling performance against the Netherlands. They expressed their reactions on social media platforms by sharing memes. Here are some of the best ones:
Australia's complete schedule for ICC ODI World Cup 2023
Match 5: October 8 - India vs Australia, Chennai, 2 pm (IST)
Match 10: October 12 - Australia vs South Africa, Lucknow, 2 pm (IST)
Match 14: October 16 - Australia vs Sri Lanka, Lucknow, 2 pm (IST)
Match 18: October 20 - Australia vs Pakistan, Bengaluru, 2 pm (IST)
Match 24: October 25 - Australia vs Netherlands, Delhi, 2 pm (IST)
Match 27: October 28 - Australia vs New Zealand, Dharamsala, 10.30 am (IST)
Match 36: November 4 - England vs Australia, Ahmedabad, 2 pm (IST)
Match 39: November 7 - Australia vs Afghanistan, Mumbai, 2 pm (IST)
Match 43: November 11 - Australia vs Bangladesh, Pune, 10.30 am (IST)
Australia's 15-man World Cup squad: Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc
Do you think Australia can win the World Cup with this squad? Let us know your views in the comments section.
