sydney
Australia wicketkeeper batsman Alex Carey is hopeful that fast bowler Mitchell Starc will play the fifth and final Test of the Border-Gavaskar series against India starting on Friday at the Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG) despite a rib pain. The fitness of this 34-year-old left-arm fast bowler remains a matter of concern for the Australian team. He was suffering from rib pain since the third day of the Boxing Day Test, but still managed to bowl with the help of the team physio. Australia has a 2-1 lead in the series.
“He’s going to be OK,” Carey told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday. Hopefully he will play the fifth Test match.” Australian selectors will probably take a decision on Starc’s fitness closer to the Test match, but Carey said he was not concerned about his teammate’s fitness. He said, “I have been playing with him (Starc) for a long time. He is a strong player. Obviously he has a pain in his rib and it bothers him at times but I am confident that he will be ready to play by the next match.
Australia will have to win or draw the fifth Test match to win the Border Gavaskar Trophy after 2014-15. If India is successful in winning this match, it will win this trophy for the fifth consecutive time. If Starc is rested then fast bowler Jhye Richardson can be included in the team. Who played his last test match in December 2021. Richardson said about the possibility of being selected in the team, “I am not thinking about it but if I get a chance, I will try my best to take advantage of it.”
