Starc: Tests always far above the white-ball cricket
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Mitchell Starc believes Test cricket is "far above" the other formats, indicating a staggered white-ball retirement to allow him to continue his red-ball career.
Starc, 32, was a constant in Australia's Test squad last season, starting with the Ashes series and continuing with tours to Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
He is now planning another lengthy run in the format, beginning next week against the West Indies in Perth, followed by the first five home Tests, four in India, a potential World Test Championship final, and the Ashes in England.
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"Tests always first…far above white-ball [cricket]," he said after the second ODI against England. "I'll decide on the rest as I go, where my body is at and how I feel about it. I would love to, selection and form pending, continue playing Test cricket as long as I can."
Starc's decision to skip the IPL was motivated by his desire to stay fresh for Test cricket. Given the intensity of the international schedule, he believes it is impossible to play all matches across formats, and he believes dropping one version of the game is not far away.
"It's certainly impossible at the moment to play every game as a three-format player. We've seen that over the last few years, sometimes there are two Australian teams playing at the same time in different continents in different formats. They see a break and put a series on. I think having those periods of time to rest may help me keep bowling at decent speeds for a period of time. I don't think playing three formats is something I can [continue] for a long period of time moving forward now" he added.
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