MELBOURNE: Out of action since March this year, Mitchell Starc expects to be available for selection by the time Australia travel to the UAE to play Pakistan in October, reported ICC.
Starc had to give the final Test of Australia’s ill-fated tour of South Africa earlier this year a miss, and skipped the Indian Premier League altogether after that because of a stress fracture on his right leg.
But the recovery has been good, and he has returned to bowling in recent times.
“I’m definitely available for selection, as long as it all goes well over the next few weeks,” Starc told cricket.com.au. “There’s not many opportunities to play very much competitive cricket before that tour. I’m aiming to play some practice games for NSW when they’re up in Brisbane if that plan goes ahead.
“The plan will keep changing and developing with how my progress is. At the moment, I’d like to think I’m very much available for selection for that UAE tour.”
Starc, Australia’s pace spearhead when at his best, has missed a fair bit of cricket in the last couple of years because of injuries. In the last 24 months, he has only played 16 Tests, 21 one-day internationals and two Twenty20 Internationals as he has grappled with fitness issues.
“The body feels good, I’ve been bowling for three weeks. I think the plan is to bowl off my full run at about 85 per cent intensity,” he said.
“It’s been a quick progression but a bit of a different rehab in terms of (the injury being in) my tibia and not my foot or my ankle this time. The plans were a little bit different. The three fast bowlers who are in the rehab group are up in Brisbane this coming week around Australia A team and we’ve got some biomechanics testing as well.”
Along with Starc, Josh Hazlewood and Pat Cummins have been getting injuries treated as well, but unlike Starc, they haven’t started bowling yet.
“I think maybe both of them could be starting up in Brisbane this week,” said Starc. “Hopefully the three of us are back on deck and available for the UAE. I think I’m a little bit ahead of the other two with my rehab at the moment.”
Australia will travel to the UAE in October for two Test matches and a series of limited-overs internationals.