Australia cautious after Starc's outburst, aiming for big lead on second day

Australia is in the driver's seat at the end of the first day of the Mackay Test. The hosts have taken a 101-run lead after bowling out Bangladesh for just 64 runs. However, Australia's innings is not completely over at the end of the day - with only two wickets in hand. As a result, the focus of discussion at the beginning of the second day is how far Australia's first innings collection will go.

At the end of the day's press conference, Mitchell Starc was asked how many runs he considered safe in the first innings against Bangladesh. However, the Australian left-arm pacer refused to give a specific number. According to him, there is still a lot of match left.

Starc said, "We are still batting, the first innings is not over. There is still a long way to go in the match. Test cricket is a two-innings game."

Starc is not satisfied with the wickets even after 18 wickets

Test cricket was held for the first time at the Great Barrier Reef Arena in Mackay. A total of 18 wickets were lost by both teams on the first day of the debut Test. Despite the question of wickets on such a bowling-friendly day, Starc believes that the pitch was not bad at all.

'People may think that 18 wickets means it is a bad wicket. But in my opinion, it was a very good wicket for the first day. Gabor behaved like a wicket,' said Starc.

According to him, just as the Gabor showed some uneven bounce on the first day, the same behavior was seen on the Maccabi wicket. So he does not want to blame the wicket alone for the high number of wickets.

Starc single-handedly crushed Bangladesh

The biggest hero of the first day was, of course, Starc himself. He took 6 wickets for 12 runs in just 10 overs. Bangladesh were all out for just 64 runs with his devastating bowling.

In this spell, Starc surpassed Dale Steyn in the list of highest wicket-takers among pacers in Test history.

Not only that, he made another record by dismissing Sadman Islam with the first ball of the Test. Starc has now taken a wicket off the first ball of a match four times in Test cricket—the highest.

What is the plan for taking a wicket off the first ball?

Starc was asked the secret to his aggressive bowling from the first ball. However, his answer was quite simple. His original plan has not changed much in the last 15 years.

According to Starc, the plan is to come running and attack the stumps, be aggressive from the start, use swing if there is one, and keep the ball on the stumps as much as possible.

The star pacer also shared his feelings after getting a wicket on the first ball. According to him, it is a great joy to get such a success at the beginning of bowling. And when you get a wicket on the first ball, you think—now there are only 9 wickets left!

After such a dominant first day against Bangladesh, there is no doubt that Australia is moving towards a big lead. However, Starc himself reminded that the fate of a match is not decided by one day in Test cricket. It remains to be seen how big a lead Australia can take on the second day.