Mitchell Starc should give some credit for his recent rise

Mitchell Starc should give some credit for his recent rise in international Cricket to Shane Warne too.

If Warne had not made that sort of comment on him in the test series, he might not have got that extra motivation and energy to show his capability to the entire world.

What a bowler he emerged out as in the second half of the summer, the New South Welshman.

Not only did he make Warne eat his words at the end of the summer, he established himself as probably the best bowler of the Australian team in limited-over Cricket.

The steam that he showed in all the games in the World Cup and even before that in the triangular series too, it was incredible.

It was like as if he was eager to prove that he was a ferocious fast bowler and not the soft one which Warne described him as in the middle of the Border-Gavaskar series.

Now, Starc’s aim should be to perform in the test matches as well in the same way as he has done in limited-over Cricket.

In test matches where there is a bit more patience needed, a bit more skill needed, Starc has faltered so far.

But, this sort of World Cup performance would have now given him the belief that he can be good enough in the longest form of the game as well.

He has been picked by the selectors in the test squad for the tours of West Indies and England.

Nobody should raise his eyebrows if he features as one of the three premier fast bowlers in the Australian XI along with Ryan Harris and Mitchell Johnson in the first Ashes test match this summer.

Starc is a handy bat too at no. 10.