Australia’s menacing fast-bowler Mitchell Starc showed the softer side of his in gifting ‘long spikes’ to the country’s women’s national team players at the sidelines of their pink-ball D/N Test encounter against visitors India in Gold Coast.
This was revealed by former Australian cricketer turned commentator Lisa Sthalekar on ‘Channel 7’.
“It was actually the first day’s play when Stella [Campbell] was bowling. She had to put a bit of sawdust on [the crease]. The bowlers came off and Starc said, ‘Have you got your long spikes?’”
she said.
Sthalekar made a revelation that some of the women’s team players weren’t even aware of the ‘long spikes’ and their benefit.
“The girls were like, ‘Long spikes? We’ve just got our normal spikes.’ So what he did was he (Starc) actually went out and bought all the bowlers long spikes so they have a different set just in case, depending on the conditions,”
the former Australian international added, highlighting the importance of Starc being around the women’s side.
Having skipped the tours of West Indies, Bangladesh and not part of IPL 2021, Starc has made it a point to spend some time with the Australian women’s team as they take on the Indians in an all-format series.
He has been seen sitting in the dugout and providing off-field support to the Aussie women’s team at the Carrara Oval in Queensland.
The left-arm quick will be back in action with the start of the men’s home summer where they face England for the Ashes, starting December 8.