Australia Drops Mitchell Starc For The 1st Ashes Test, Boland And Hazlewood In The XI.

Australian captain Pat Cummins made a surprising decision during the toss for the Ashes opener against England in Birmingham. He revealed that star pacer Mitchell Starc had been dropped from the team in order to accommodate Josh Hazlewood in the playing eleven.

Unlike the home side, which had announced their starting eleven a few days in advance, Australia chose to keep their starters under wraps until the last moment. The visitors had to make a choice between playing the returning Josh Hazlewood or retaining Scott Boland in the starting eleven.

In the recently concluded World Test Championship Final against India, Scott Boland had replaced Josh Hazlewood and delivered a crucial spell in the fourth innings, contributing to Australia’s success in the title match. Instead of picking either Boland or Hazlewood, the Australian team made a bold move of dropping Mitchell Starc, the left-arm pacer, to accommodate both players in the eleven.

Although Mitchell Starc was the most expensive Australian bowler in the WTC Final at the Oval, he has a reputation for being a lethal exponent of reverse swing with the old ball and has a knack for taking important wickets for the team. This decision puzzled several experts and fans who recognized Starc’s valuable contributions despite his occasional expensive spells.