In a surprising move, Mitchell Starc announced his T20I retirement just six months prior to the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. The 35-year-old has been influential for Australia in the shortest format of the game, claiming 79 wickets in 65 matches at an economy rate of 7.74. He was also part of the Australia squad that won the T20 World Cup 2021 under Aaron Finch.
Meanwhile, speaking to Cricket Australia after his T20I retirement, Starc revealed that he informed head coach Andrew McDonald and pace mates Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, but forgot to speak with captain Mitchell Marsh. He revealed that the all-rounder found out the news on Instagram and immediately texted him to know about the decision.
“I probably should have rang Mitchy. He texted me and said he found out through Instagram. I felt bad about that one — I didn’t tell the captain. Sorry, Mitchy,” Starc said. “I did let them know, I did not ask them. I spoke to Ronnie (Andrew McDonald), and then told the two of them, I was done. Yeah, that was about it,” he added.
What’s the reason behind Starc’s T20I retirement?
Revealing the reason behind his sudden decision of T20I retirement, Starc noted that the decision was brewing for a while, especially with fellow teammates Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis, scaling their white-ball commitment. He also wants to focus on prolonging his Test career, and that played a major role in Starc calling his time in the shortest format.
Meanwhile, with the decision to retire from only T20Is, Starc kept the door open for the ODI World Cup 2027. At 35, he is likely to push for a spot in the marquee tournament, which will be held in South Africa, Kenya and Namibia. However, following his retirement, Starc’s chances of representing Australia in the Los Angeles Olympics are also over, unless he decides to stage a comeback.