Australia’s pace spearhead Mitchell Starc showed that he is in dangerous form ahead of the Ashes with a second hat-trick in the same Sheffield Shield match in Sydney on Tuesday. Starc finished with the match figures of seven for 97 in NSW’s 171-run victory over Western Australia.
The left-armer is the first bowler to take two hat-tricks in the a Sheffield Shield game and only the seventh bowler in first class cricket to get this record. Australian leg-spinner Jimmy Matthews remains the only player to take two hat-tricks in a Test match after he did it against South Africa in Manchester in 1912.
Starc dismissed Jason Behrendorff and David Moody with the last two balls of his 15th over and then got Jon Wells on the first of his 16th to seal his hat-trick. Behrendorff was caught behind by wicketkeeper Peter Nevill, Moody was bowled off by another yorker, while Wells’ 73-ball stay came to an end with Steve Smith holding on to the catch.
On Monday, the left-armer ripped through the Western Australia tail, first bowling Behrendorf, then trapping Moody leg before wicket before castling Simon Mackin with consecutive deliveries.
Starc’s pre-Ashes form is a huge bonus for Australia as the pacer has been recovering from an injury and hadn’t played in a while. This is the 27-year-old last match before the first Ashes Test.
He and Josh Hazlewood are expected to share the new ball in the opening Test of the Ashes series against England in Brisbane, starting on November 23.
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