ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 Afghanistan has stunned Australia and won the match by 21 runs a historic win for Afghanistan which turned out to be a perfect revenge for them. Australia almost made a comeback but Maxwell’s wicket was the turning point and so they lost the match. One thing that caught everyone’s eye was that Mitchell Starc was dropped for this match and brought Ashton Agar into the XI. Why is it so? What could be the decision?
Andrew McDonald clarifies about Mitchell Starc’s exclusion
Australia’s head coach Andrew McDonald speaks on Mitchell Starc’s exclusion from the match. Mitchell Starc was excluded from the XI since the spinner had some extra turns so Ashton Agar was replaced with Mitchell Starc. A player like Mitchell Starc is an asset to Australia he always picks wickets for the team and he is also one of the highest wicket-takers in the World Cup. Considering the situation or conditions excluding a star bowler isn’t perfect so Australia faced loss just because they benched Mitchell Starc, Afghanistan openers registered a century partnership if Mitchell Starc bowled, early wickets were easily possible and the result also would go with Australia. Andrew McDonald said:
“It’s always a tough decision to leave Mitch Starc out of a team, but I think as you saw from the way the game unfolded, I think Ashton was suited to these conditions and we needed to make room. We knew that we were going to need more than eight overs to spin on that surface and it’s probably something we’ve been planning and preparing for once we knew we were at this venue and we looked at our squad of 15 and set it before the tournament,”
“We’re going to need options and flexibility, but it’s always a difficult decision. You never know whether it’s going to be right or wrong, but I thought Ashton bowled incredibly well today. Used his skill, and some good arm balls, found some purchase early, and made it tricky to navigate through those first few overs, we got two out of the power play, which then set up, clearly, the bowling from that end with him and Zamps operating. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to take those early wickets, had a couple of opportunities, and no doubt we’ll speak about the fielding,” said McDonald.
“When you’re hopping around the islands, the conditions change dramatically, and we got what we expected,” McDonald said. “I was comfortable with that decision and now we’ve got to turn our focus to India: a different line-up on a different surface, and we’ve got to make good decisions at the selection table,”