By Louis Cameron at Lord’s

ONCE the Tories decide who their next prime minister is, the new appointee’s first task may be to call for a royal commission to uncover the identity of the man who sledged Mitchell Starc just hours before the Australian quick destroyed England at Lord’s.Starc’s wife Alyssa Healy spilled the beans (pardon the pun) on the strange run-in at the breakfast buffet yesterday morning that “fired up” the left-arm quick just hours before he was set to open the bowling at the home of cricket.

After polishing off three poached eggs that the unknown English gentleman deemed to be too much on the morning of a big match, Starc then polished off the top-order of the world’s best one-day team, claiming 4-43 in Australia’s 64-run win.

“Someone was having a go at my strapping tape and having a go at my bowling,” the 29-year-old revealed of the encounter at their team hotel. “I was just hungry.
“He just had a bit of a clip at me. It was all good fun … I was still half-asleep I think. I still had two hours before we were starting warm-ups.

“It’s all been good fun throughout the tour around the crowds and at the hotel. It’s just part and parcel of a World Cup.”

Starc’s eating habits seem to be doing the trick, with the paceman collecting the key scalps of Joe Root, Eoin Morgan and Ben Stokes at Lord’s to surge to the top of the tournament’s leading wicket-taking charts with 19 victims at 18.26.

While fellow left-armer Jason Behrendorff outshone him on the scorecard with a maiden five-wicket haul, it was Starc who delivered the game’s, and arguably the tournament’s most telling blow.

With the valiant Ben Stokes leading an England fightback that threatened to take the game away from Australia, Starc produced a near-unplayable 145-kph yorker that tailed back into the left-hander and hit the base of his off-stump.

Stokes, knowing he’d been felled in the tragic final act of his side’s chase, theatrically dropped his bat on the pitch and kicked it across the crease.
Incidentally, the last time the pair faced off at Lord’s in a one-dayer, they kicked off controversy when Stokes was given out obstructing the field after blocking a throw from Starc with his hand.

“We had a bit of a laugh. The last time we played one another at this ground was that one that came back at him,” said Starc, who also admitted they’d been wary of Stokes after his unbeaten 89 in their defeat to Sri Lanka.

“He’s a fantastic player and he’s one of their key batters.
“We knew while he was batting that we couldn’t just rest up, we couldn’t cruise. We had to try and take that wicket.

“Fortunately I got one through the gate but he was batting fantastically well today … To execute that ball exactly how I wanted to was pleasing for me, but it was just pleasing to get the result.”

Australia have been crying out for a bowler to take the wicket-taking load off Starc and fellow speedster Pat Cummins, and Behrendorff showed he’s capable in producing the best performance of his international career.

The WA quick removed James Vince with the second ball of the innings, as well as fellow opener Jonny Bairstow, before cleaning up the tail.

The Aussies hadn’t opened the bowling with two left-armers since Starc and Johnson shared the new ball briefly during the 2015 World Cup.

And while Australia have flipped and switched their bowling and batting combinations during the tournament, Starc believes fielding two southpaw quicks could be an effective tactic.

“I’ve bowled a fair bit with Mitch Johnson in the past and it showed again today there’s no reason why you can’t play two left-armers, especially when conditions suit and when the match-ups suit as well,” said Starc.

“He bowled us a fantastic starting over to set the tone. It was awesome. For someone in their second World Cup game, he bowled beautifully for his five (wickets) today.” (Cricket .com.au)