Srinagar: Former West Indies pacer Ian Bishop has slammed Mitchell Starc for not justifying his price tag after another expensive outing in the IPL for KKR vs RR.
Bought for a price tag of INR 24.75 crore, Starc, one of the best fast bowlers in the world, has leaked runs profusely.
Starc conceded 0/50 – including an 18-run 18th over that helped the Royals gunning down 224.
“I would assume that Mitchell Starc, especially at that price, hasn’t really hit the nail on its head. He got three wickets last game but tonight again he would have been hoping to step up. There was this one over, where he was going wide, wide, wide. When you need sixes, I think it’s a good plan. Then you talk about backing yourself – of course there was that five wides, and the short ball which he got hooked for when there was nobody at square. Instead of sticking with the wides, he moved back. So yeah, like I said… it’s the little things,” Ian Bishop said on ESPNCricinfo.
“Two overs in a row, we are talking about the first ball. He has tried to bowl the slower ball, and I think he is trying to bowl a wide slower ball. When you are bowling on these pitches, that first ball goes out of the park. And that is a good momentum-starter for the bowler. And it not only creates chaos in your mind, but in the captain’s mind too. He is also changing because the game is evolving. IPL is a different beast as compared to international. The grounds are so much smaller. Even mishits go for six. I think he is learning to bowl a lot more defensively on Indian grounds,” said McClenaghan.