Mitchell Starc's big match temperament in WTC Final leaves Dale Steyn in awe
Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc's remarkable performance in the World Test Championship (WTC) final 2025 has left South African fast-bowling great Dale Steyn awestruck. Starc once again turned up when it mattered most, removing both Aiden Markram and Ryan Rickelton quickly in the first innings of the WTC Final 2025 against South Africa.Speaking for JioStar as a panel expert, Steyn first explained how the 35-year-old was able to get those two early wickets, which turned the tide back in Australia's favour. The quick bowler ended up getting Markram out in the first over with a classic inswinger that ended up crashing onto the stumps. A couple of overs later, Rickelton was his next victim as he got the edge to the slips, with the delivery moving away from the left-handed batter.advertisement'He's really quick through the air, and I certainly think he rushes a lot of batsmen. When you're a bit nervous and your feet aren't moving the way you want—just like Aiden Markram —he was caught in the crease, unsure whether to go forward or not. Starc had already gone past the bat a few times, maybe even beaten him on the inside edge once or twice," said Steyn.
"Then Rickelton decided he could hit it through the covers, and the best Test bowlers in the world have this ability to pull their length back just slightly. A batter thinks he's got it covered, but then it kicks up, moves just a little more, finds the edge. That's what Starc, Cummins, and Hazlewood have done so well over the years," he added.advertisementThe fast-bowling legend also highlighted how he has been able to put in similar performances in the big matches. He pointed out how his continuous performances have also made it a habitual process, which he can recreate time and again."But it's also about big-match temperament. He's done it before, he believes he can do it again—and when he does, it becomes a habit. He also builds a reputation. He gets the backing of his captain. We know how he's going to do it, and if you look at his wickets, they're all very similar," Steyn concluded.By the end of the first day's play, Starc's twin blows alongside a wicket each for Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood have put South Africa under the pump. Whilst there are four more days to go, the Aussies will fancy their chances of retaining the title and adding another crown to their collection.
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India.com
28 minutes ago
- India.com
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Indian Express
40 minutes ago
- Indian Express
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The mighty cricketing nation is reputed to write its own scripts where the hare overruns the tortoise and Goliath pins down David. Giving credit where it is due, the famous Aussie consistency, like the fabled German efficiency, is single-handedly responsible for denying the sport many feel-good bedtime stories in different languages and dialects. This time it seems, fingers crossed, they have failed to make the sporting literature poorer. In years to come, kids in South African townships will be told the story of their country's first-ever full-time black captain Bavuma, whose name, in his native Xhosa, means Hope. It can't be anybody but a soothsayer who came up with such an apt name for the 5'4″ cricketing super hero. For a nation still dealing with apartheid era trauma, Temba returning home with its first major ICC trophy would mean so much to so many. A well-balanced mixed team, with no overwhelming intrigue around it, would have delighted the founding fathers of the born-again post-apartheid era South Africa. The sight of Markram and Bavuma – a white former captain and a black present skipper – guiding the team through a tricky chase would have gladdened the divided society used to hearing whispers of racial tensions in the sporting arena. Bavuma's men, in case they win this one, would have done more for the country's two big goals – inclusivity and reconciliation – than what most government initiatives could take years or decades. A title triumph in the game's toughest format would have sky-rocketed the ambitions of the young cricketers growing up in Langa, the black township near Cape Town where Bavuma grew. Not too far back, this used to be a ghetto with non-existent basic amenities. After Nelson Mandela's release from prison in 1990 and the subsequent multi-racial election in 1994, Langa saw change. The erstwhile marginalised space with match-box mud huts now has high-rise buildings with satellite discs perched on most balconies. Langa hasn't forgotten its past but it has certainly moved on. At the exact place where 69 black anti-apartheid protesters were killed by police bullets in 1960 is the Sharpeville massacre memorial. During a visit to Langa during India's 2018 tour to South Africa, one could feel the reverence among the locals for the martyrs and an optimism about the new life they gifted them. But Langa was bitter about the outside world's attitude towards their cricket and cricketers. That was the time, Bavuma had been dropped for the India Test in his own backyard – Newlands, Cape Town. Among those at the stadium disappointed by the playing XI selection was Cagew Ezra. He was 65 but looked barely 50. He had been tasked by the Western Province Cricket to develop cricket in black townships. Unofficially, he had kept an eye on Langa's bright young cricketers for ages. 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Fingers crossed, this story is too good to have a tragic end.
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