'You don’t stuff around with Mother Cricket': Starc's honest take on Hazlewood's controversial say

Australia secured a five-wicket victory over Scotland in their last group match of the ongoing T20 World Cup, guaranteeing England's entry into the Super Eight stage. England, who triumphed over Namibia in a rain-affected match earlier that Saturday, counted on Australia's win against Scotland to advance. Despite a shaky fielding performance, including dropped catches and conceding 180/5 in 20 overs, Travis Head (68) and Marcus Stoinis (59) played superb innings to guide Australia to victory.

Also Read | MS Dhoni's daughter Ziva pays emotional tribute on Father's Day - WATCH

Mitchell Starc reacted to Josh Hazlewood's statement

Ahead of the Australia vs Scotland match, there was controversy when Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood sparked debate on social media. He hinted that Australia might not be averse to hindering England's tournament progress. This led to mixed reactions, with fellow pace bowler Pat Cummins dismissing the notion as well.

Mitchell Starc also has an opinion on the subject.

“You don’t stuff around with Mother Cricket and try to worry about other results,” Starc said.

“We’re here to win games. England are now on the other side of the draw, so it really doesn’t make that much difference for the next three games. That was blown right out of proportion.”

Starc had an unusual outing without taking any wickets, largely due to several dropped catches by the team. Adam Zampa missed a chance on the boundary, while Mitchell Marsh and wicketkeeper Matthew Wade also dropped catches off Glenn Maxwell's bowling.

In total, six catches were put down, a significant departure from their earlier sharp fielding that had helped them qualify for the Super Eight stage.

When asked if there were excuses for the side's poor fielding efforts, Starc insisted that the side was “just terrible.”

“No, we were just terrible. We were certainly off the mark in the field with dropped catches and probably some other areas that were a bit sloppy as well. [It’s] good to get that stuff out of the way, and now we’re into the pointy end,” said the pacer.