Record-breaker Starc happy to contribute in 'scrappy' win

Having become the fastest to reach the landmark of 100 One-Day International (ODI) wickets, Mitchell Starc, the Australia left-arm pacer, said his latest achievement is something he would reflect on sometime later, indicating that his first priority is doing well in the limited-overs leg of the Sri Lanka tour.


Starc got to the milestone during the first ODI against Sri Lanka, which was his 52nd match. He bettered Saqlain Mushtaq's record of 53 games to 100 scalps, eclipsing a 19-year-old record in the process.
 
"I guess it's something I could sit back and reflect on later on. Quite frankly I'm glad it's finished now, I don't have to hear about it or talk about it anymore. I was just glad I could contribute to a win," Starc said after Australia won the first ODI in Colombo by three wickets on Sunday (August 21). "I guess it was a scrappy game, and once the series is finished or later down the track I could reflect on (the 100 ODI wickets)."
 
Starc's stocks have been on the rise in the past couple of years and the left-arm pacer made his presence felt during the 2015 World Cup, finishing as the joint-highest wicket-taker (22 wickets), and also bagged the Man of the Series award. He attributed his success to Craig McDermott, the former bowling coach of the Australian team.
 
"It [turnaround in limited-overs cricket] was work done before the World Cup with Craig McDermott especially, maybe 12 months prior to the World Cup and tinkering on a few things - my wrist and swinging the ball and a tri-series before the World Cup. Everything started to click and I felt really good," Starc said.
 
"Obviously the World Cup was a pretty special period for the whole group, and for me it was nice to get the ball in the right areas more often that I had done in the past. The one little period that will always stand out was the World Cup. That was very special not just for myself but for the whole squad and the staff. That is probably going to be a hard one to top," he added.
 
Starc's performance was the only consolation for Australia during their forgettable three-Test series, which was clean-swept by hosts Sri Lanka. The 26-year-old, who finished with 24 wickets, including three fifers in as many innings, credited Allan Donald, the current bowling coach, for his success in the subcontinent.
 
Starc, who has also worked with Donald during his stints with Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League, said: "I have enjoyed working with AD (Donald) through this tour. Obviously worked with AD in the IPL in the last couple of years and hopefully will in the years to come. Through this tour, he has been fantastic for us, his knowledge of playing in Sri Lanka, talking about reverse swing, it has been fantastic."