Mitchell Starc was in no mood to declare Australia’s first-innings job complete, despite a dominant opening day against Bangladesh in Mackay.
Australia ended the day 101 runs ahead after Bangladesh were dismissed for 64, but with only two wickets remaining, Starc was reluctant to suggest what would constitute a winning total.
“We’re still batting, the first innings isn’t finished. There’s a long way to go in the match. Test cricket is a two-innings game,” Starc said after play.
His caution reflected a day when the ball consistently held the upper hand. Eighteen wickets fell at the Great Barrier Reef Arena, making for a dramatic start to its first Test.
While the number of dismissals may have raised questions about the surface, Starc defended the pitch and credited the bowlers instead.
“People might think that 18 wickets have fallen, so it must be a bad wicket,” he said. “But I thought it was a really good wicket for day one.”
The Australia quick compared the Mackay surface with the Gabba, where uneven bounce can make life uncomfortable for batters early in a Test.
“It behaved much like the Gabba. At the Gabba, you can get a little bit of tennis-ball-like uneven bounce on the first day, and we saw something similar today,” Starc said.
No bowler benefited more than Starc himself. He ripped through Bangladesh with 6-12 from 10 overs, including six maidens, as the tourists folded for just 64.
The left-armer also dismissed Shadman Islam with the first delivery of the match, giving him four Test wickets from first balls, another record in the format.
Yet Starc suggested there was nothing complicated behind his success.
“I don’t think my plan has changed in the last 15 years. It’s pretty simple, really: run in and try to hit the stumps,” he said.
“Run in, stay aggressive, use the swing if it’s there and try to hit the stumps. It really is that simple.”
And when that approach produces a wicket first ball, Starc admitted the feeling is difficult to beat.
“When you get a wicket with the first ball, you think, ‘Now we’ve only got nine wickets left!’”
