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Melbourne, Australia’s World Cup hero Mitchell Starc on Monday said the team’s experienced players provided crucial balance to the youthful squad’s title-winning march in the mega-event and it’s too early to dismiss the side’s old guards, including fellow left-armer Mitchell Johnson.
The 25-year-old picked up 22 wickets, including the key scalp of Brendon McCullum in the final, at an unbelievable average of 10.18. His performance played a key role in the team claiming their fifth World title.
“The senior guys have definitely got some time left in them,” Starc, the “Player of the Tournament”, was quoted as saying by Cricket Australia website.
Skipper Michael Clarke, who announced his One-Day-International (ODI) retirement, was one of just four players in Australia’s XI for the final against New Zealand aged over 30.
The other three – Brad Haddin (37), Shane Watson (33) and Johnson (33) – are yet to declare their limited overs intentions beyond the World Cup, and Starc said the older heads add an important balance to a squad that has an average age of just over 28.
“Obviously we lose Michael (Clarke) now, but look, we’ve got a lot of great senior guys around us. The young guys are really thriving on that and it’s something we can take forward now for the next four years leading into the next World Cup.”
Michael Clarke, having led Australia to their fifth One-Day International (ODI) title said he left the team “in a great place” to build on their success over the next four years ahead of their title defence in 2019.
“They’ll continue to have success. I think they’ll continue to get better. That talent will not just be talent, it’ll be consistent performance,” Clarke said on Sunday
