Mitchell Starc sledged by England fan during breakfast, makes hosts pay in Lord’s

Mitchell Starc was fired up heading into the match against England at Lord’s. Aside from the England vs Australia traditional rivalry, there was plenty at stake for both sides. A win for Australia would seal a spot in the semis while for England, they would come closer to sealing a spot in the last four. However, Starc produced a magnificent bowling spell and he was well backed-up by Jason Behrendorff. The left-arm pacer trapped Joe Root LBW with a pacy delivery that swung back in and then sent back Eoin Morgan with a bouncer. Starc, though, produced possibly the ball of the tournament when he sent back Ben Stokes for 89 with a reverse-swinging yorker. Starc’s 4/37, backed by Jason Behrendorff’s 5/44 helped Australia enter the semis with a 64-run win at Lord’s.

Speaking after the match, Starc revealed why he was fired up and it was apparently a sledge by an England fan during breakfast at the team hotel. “Some bloke in a suit was having a go about my strapping tape on my elbow and about me eating too much and how it was going to affect my bowling! I had a few poached eggs, three I think. He had a bit of a click at me - all good fun. I was still half-asleep, didn't think much of it. It's all been good fun around the tour, it's all part and parcel of a World Cup!"

Starc and Behrendorff showed their class on a Lord’s wicket which had assistance for the seamers. When asked whether he offered Behrendorff any tips, Starc said he did not say anything specific as he himself had not been to England for four years. “Dorff bowled awesome, beautifully, and deserved his five wickets - and it's great to see him do so well here at Lord's against England. I've bowled a fair bit with Mitchell Johnson in the past and this showed again today that there's no reason why you can't play two left-armers when the pitch and match-ups suit. Dorff actually asked me if there was anything of note about the wicket here and, to be honest, I didn't have much for him as I haven't been here for about four years,” Starc said.

The left-arm pacer revealed the wicket of Ben Stokes, who was batting on 89, was key as he had the capability to take the game away. The yorker, which got rid of Stokes, was a result of a plan being executed perfectly.

“He's (Stokes) a fantastic player, one of their key batters. He nearly got them home against Sri Lanka and so we knew while he was batting that we couldn't rest up. Fortunately, I got one through the gate. I've got a pretty simple one-day plan and for me, it's all about execution. To execute that ball exactly how I wanted and for it to result in the way it did was pleasing for me - but it was pleasing to contribute to the whole group,” Starc said.

RELATED

HIGHLIGHTS

• Jason Behrendorff picked up his maiden five-wicket haul.
• England has lost six out of eight encounters against Australia in World Cups.
• Australia is the first team to seal their spot in the semi-final.