He was then attacked back by Cricket Australia chief executive Nick Hockley, although Langer has said that all the players are like my younger brothers. At the first official press conference ahead of the Optus Stadium Test, there was curiosity about how Mitchell Starc would deal with the matter.
And in what might be a sign of disappointment, he dismissed the controversy, claiming he hadn’t heard the interview. “I have a very good relationship with Langer,” Mitchell Starc told reporters on Saturday.
“We exchanged messages after the T20 World Cup. I am quite comfortable with my relationship with JL. Starc said the team did not pay particular attention to the issue ahead of the three-hour practice session at the WACA nets and on the main wicket of the ground.”
It was mentioned that there might be some noise around it being in the west and JL being a commentary spot. We are comfortable… Spend a lot of time together as a three format group. It’s all preparation for this Test match. Too much isn’t going to distract us. I’m sure we’ll see (Langer) on the field and all summer.
West Australia fans are excited about the first Test in Perth since December 2019. “There was always a lot of crowd in Perth. There has been a lot of discussion about not having Test cricket here for a long time. Hopefully, the public will support it. Show us what Test cricket means to them.
Mitchell Starc has been impressive in two Tests at the 60,000-seater ground, taking 14 wickets against India and New Zealand and is touted as the country’s second-best bowler after the Adelaide Oval.
“Adelaide and Perth have a good contest between bat and ball,” said Starc, who has taken 287 Test wickets. In Perth, you get rewarded for playing good shots and also for bowling well.
Given west Indies’ well-to-do defeat in Australia, which has not won a Test match at the WACA since February 1997, some are confident that the home team can easily enter the Test season ahead of the three-match series against South Africa.
Mitchell Starc, however, feels West Indies should not be underestimated and pointed to a stunning home Test win against England in March.