Australia have vowed to arrive at Old Trafford’s Fourth Ashes Test with “different plans” to contain Ben Stokes’s destructive batting.
Stokes has played superb innings in each of the last two Tests, scoring 155 at Lord’s to take England close to an improbable victory, then belting a vital 80 in the first innings at Headingley with the hosts threatening to concede a sizeable deficit.
Despite struggling with a chronic knee problem, Stokes’s 309 runs make him the series’ second-highest run-scorer, 47 runs behind Australian opener Usman Khawaja, who has faced almost twice as many balls.
“It was nice to get him early,” Starc said, after dismissing Stokes cheaply in England’s chase at Headingley, only for Harry Brook, Chris Woakes and Mark Wood to see the side home and halve Australia’s series lead to 2-1.
“But we spoke about getting him while he was with another batter, the way he’s been playing with the tail.
“It’s always nice to get someone of his calibre early, but obviously, one we’re going to come up with some different plans for in the last two Tests.”
Starc is having a fine series himself, with 13 wickets in two matches since being left out of the opener at Edgbaston and the quick, who played only one Test in 2019, looks certain to keep his place in Manchester.
While Starc has always been recognised as a potent strike bowler, he has also been expensive, which was part of selectors’ decision to go into the First Test with Scott Boland and Josh Hazlewood alongside captain Pat Cummins. However, England’s aggressive approach means no touring bowler has been especially economical so far in the series and Starc says that is allowing him to focus on taking wickets.
“The way they’ve been playing over the last period of time means they’re naturally going to be faster scorers,” he added. “Even some of our scoring rates and strike rates as batters have been a bit higher throughout this series, which speaks to flatter, truer wickets and faster outfields.
“It’s never really been a concern of mine, my role is to attack and take wickets, that’s shown in my strike rate. I’ll keep getting better that way.”
