IND vs AUS: Mitchell Starc announces Test comeback despite finger yet to recover

Mitchell Starc will be troubled by his injured finger for some time, but he is set to make his comeback in Indore as Australia is still searching for their first win.

“It’s good enough,” Starc said of his finger. “There’s going to be a level of discomfort… I don’t think it is going to be 100% for a little while, but the ball is coming out quite nicely and I feel like I’m pretty much at full tilt.

Starc has been out since dislocating the tip of his middle finger during the Boxing Day Test, which caused tendon damage that will require him to wear a splint for the foreseeable future. However, this will not prevent him from replacing Pat Cummins, who will be unavailable for the third Test.

“It’s more the discomfort of the joint being restricted having been in a splint for six weeks and still having to be in a splint for another couple of weeks yet. That’s probably the only part – dealing with the discomfort of it, getting the mobility back into it. That’ll come over the next couple of weeks and it’s progressed again, it’s a progression each day I bowl. It’s not a concern for me, the comfort levels – it’s doing what I need it to do to be available to play.

Mitchell Starc is getting it to reverse in Indore. Great signs for Australia to have him back even if Cam Green, who is also back, might not particularly appreciate the first clip #IndvAus pic.twitter.com/cT2HujCvbg

— Bharat Sundaresan (@beastieboy07) February 27, 2023

“It wouldn’t be the first Test match I’ve played in some sort of discomfort. If I only played when I was at 100%, I would have only played five or ten Tests. I’m happy with where it’s at and I’ve built up enough of a pain threshold to deal with that stuff over the last 10 or 12 years.”