Mitchell Johnson offers to help Mitchell Starc ahead of Perth Test

Former Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson has offered to help countryman Mitchell Starc gain his confidence and rhythm before the second Test match in Perth on December 14.

Starc was far from his best in Adelaide as he could muster just two wickets in the first innings and bag three in the second.

Johnson, who is Australia’s fifth-highest wicket-taker in Tests said that Starc’s struggle might be in the mind.
Everyone operates in a different way and I’ve already sent him a couple of text messages to see if he wants to catch up and have a chat about things because I have worked with him in the past and you get to know people really well,” Johnson said, as quoted by BBC.

“It just looked like there was something on his mind, something’s not quite clicking. We’ll sit down hopefully before the Perth Test match starts,” he added.

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A left-arm speedster like Starc, Johnson hopes the wicket in Perth stay how it is known as–fast and bouncy, which would help Starc be upto his best.

“It’s probably going to be a pretty quick and bouncy wicket as well. That could really get (Starc) alive and going. All I would say to him is he’s just got to have that belief in himself and get involved in the game and I guess have that presence,” he said.

Starc had earlier said that he had ankle injuries in the past which made him worry about the footholes.
He is the lowest wicket-taker among the current bowlers in the past eight matches.

He has 29 Test wickets at an average of 32.62, as compared to Nathan Lyon (46 wickets in 10 matches), Josh Hazlewood (30 wickets from eight matches) and Pat Cummins (40 wickets from eight matches).

Johnson expected Starc to put on a much-improved show in Perth.
“The Mitchell Starc I know, he runs in, he’s got that real good rhythm in his run up, he’s running in fast, he’s got that presence about him, he has a good follow through where he’s in the batsman’s face, he’s involved in the game. We’re just not seeing that,” he said.
Image credit- Cricket World