Starc slams decision to drop him for crucial T20 World Cup match against Afghanistan

Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc has voiced his frustration over being dropped for the T20 World Cup Super Eights match against Afghanistan, a decision he believes significantly affected Australia's chances of advancing in the tournament.

The defending champions faced a 21-run defeat against Afghanistan, a loss that dented their semifinal hopes. This was the second consecutive World Cup match against Afghanistan that Starc missed, heightening his discontent.

Starc was replaced by left-arm spinner Ashton Agar for the match. While Agar managed to restrict the Afghan batters, he failed to take any wickets, a strategy that backfired. Speaking on the Willow Talk podcast, Starc did not hide his disappointment.

"No -- two World Cups in a row," Starc lamented, referring to his exclusions in consecutive tournaments against Afghanistan.

The decision to bench Starc stemmed from the team's observation of previous games at the St Vincent ground, where spin had proved effective. "They saw previous games on that ground with spin playing a part and obviously Ash and the left-armer enticing them to make a change," Starc explained.

Starc’s frustration is not new; he was also omitted from a crucial match against Afghanistan in the 2022 T20 World Cup held in Adelaide, which similarly resulted in Australia failing to reach the semifinals. Following the recent loss to Afghanistan, Australia also succumbed to India in the Super Eights, resulting in their elimination from the competition.

Starc criticized the tournament's pre-seeding and scheduling, which placed Australia in a predetermined group despite their performance. "We finished ahead of England and end up where we were pre-seeded as the second side. All of a sudden, you're in a different group," he noted.

He also highlighted the logistical challenges faced by the team during their Caribbean tour, suggesting better planning could have been beneficial. "We had the two night games and the third was a day game, so it wasn't the best preparation. We had a delayed flight out of St Vincent, a 90-minute drive from the airport to the hotel in St Lucia, and then a 10 o'clock toss," Starc detailed, acknowledging the travel difficulties between venues.