Ricky Ponting heaps praise on Mitchell Starc after pacer's 100-Test achievement

Ricky Ponting (Pic: X/@ICC)

Mitchell Starc, who recently made his 100th appearance for Australia in the longest format of the game, was praised by former skipper Ricky Ponting.

The pacer achieved the feat of completing 100 Test matches for Australia during the third Test match against West Indies, which was played at Sabina Park in Kingston.

Speaking about Starc, Ponting was nothing short of praise. The former skipper said that since his debut in the national side, everyone believed Starc would be a player to feature in 100 Tests and pick up 400-500 wickets in the format.

"I think everyone who laid eyes on him as a youngster understood that there was every possibility that he could be a 100-Test match, 400 or 500-wicket fast bowler for Australia," Ponting told ICC.

The 35-year-old pacer in the third Test match against West Indies claimed seven wickets across both innings. With this, he added another feather in his illustrious career of completing 400 or above wickets in the traditional format of the game.

"He's really now stacking up an amazing career - over 400 Test match wickets. He's got to be 6'5". He's always had pace on his side. He's always been sort of that high 140s and sometimes pushing that sort of 150 barrier. He's had the ability to swing the new ball back into the right-handers," added Ponting.

So far, in 100 Test appearances for Australia, Mitchell Starc has bagged 402 wickets with the best bowling figures of six wickets for nine runs. He is also the fourth-leading wicket-taker for the side in the format. The top three bowlers are late Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, and Nathan Lyon.

Further, the 50-year-old former cricketer recollected the time when he, in his playing days, felt 'something extra special' about Starc.

"I remember, he was bowling a spell to Sachin Tendulkar and was able to sort of bowl a short one, get up under Sachin's armpit and Sachin just sort of knocked one into short leg on the leg side," he reminisced.

"And when you could see that sort of pace and bounce and have someone like Sachin not be able to cope with it, I think that was the reassurance for all of us that there was probably something extra special there for Mitchell Starc," concluded the veteran of 168 Test matches.

(With ICC Inputs)