Starc warning for Test batsmen

He's the king of white-ball cricket and Mitchell Starc's teammates say it's only a matter of time before he's dominating in the Test arena as well.

Starc was the toast of the cricket world on Sunday night when he was crowned player of the 2015 World Cup and also unveiled as the new No.1 in the ODI bowling rankings.

Quick Single: World No.1 Starc is King of the Cup

It comes after a dream tournament for the left-armer, who finished with 22 wickets at an incredible average of 10.18 and a strike rate of 17.4.

His overall record in ODIs is just as impressive; he has 83 wickets in 41 matches at an average of 18.33 and strike rate of 23.3, the best average and strike rate of any bowler in ODI history to have bowled 1000 or more deliveries.

While the 25-year-old is the best 50-over bowler in the world, he has yet to have quite the same impact in Test cricket.

He has yo-yoed in and out of Australia's Test side in a career that has featured 15 matches in three-and-a-half years; he played two consecutive Tests against New Zealand from his debut in 2011 but has not played two Tests in a row since.

He played the second and fourth Tests against India this summer, taking seven wickets, and was infamously criticised by Shane Warne for his "soft" body language during the Gabba Test in Brisbane.

But with his confidence and self-belief sky high, Starc's teammates say he's ready to step up in Australia's upcoming Test series against the West Indies and the Ashes that follow in July and August.

Image Id: ~/media/35D99D1A2B86400C93FEFA6D2B368EE5

Starc bowls McCullum first over of the World Cup final // Getty Images

"It's incredible to see how well he has bowled in this tournament against the best batsmen in the world," allrounder Shane Watson said of Starc.

"It will be incredible to see him also do that in Test cricket, because that's very close.

"His confidence changed and he made a couple of adjustments in that Sydney Test match and he bowled beautifully."

Captain Michael Clarke added: "If he keeps bowling the way he's bowled it doesn't matter what format he plays, he's going to have success".

Starc has taken 50 Test wickets at an average of 35 since debuting at the Gabba in November 2011.

After his maiden Test series against the Black Caps in 2011-12, he played just one of the four Tests against India later that summer before one Test each in the away series against the West Indies and the home series against South Africa.

He then played the first and third Tests of the series against Sri Lanka, the first and third Tests in India and the first, third and fifth Tests of the 2013 Ashes series.

Injury meant he missed the majority of the 2013-14 summer before returning to the Test side for the second Test against Pakistan late last year, which preceded the home Tests against India this summer.

Image Id: ~/media/D12B90B197CC461F94DFC8B846124DC7

Starc receives the Player of the Tournament award from Sachin Tendulkar // Getty Images

One man who knows what it's like to be in and out of the Test team during his career is Mitchell Johnson, who says it's only a matter of time before his fellow left-armer thrives at Test level.

"I know what it was like when I first started, you're trying to find your rhythm and trying to find your place," Johnson said.

"I don't think it's far away. This has definitely given him a lot of confidence … he's really stood up.

"He was criticised through that Test series last year and he's really stood up. I'm really proud of him."

Starc has more white-ball cricket to come before he returns to the Test fold; he will head to India next month to play alongside the likes of AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli and Chris Gayle for the Daniel Vettori-coached Royal Challengers Bangalore in the Indian Premier League.

He can then expect to link up with Australia's formidable fast-bowling attack for seven winter Tests – two against the Windies and five against England – alongside the likes of Johnson, Ryan Harris, Josh Hazlewood, James Pattinson and Peter Siddle.

"I'd like to push into Test cricket now," Starc said.

"But we've got a bit of a break now before any of the Tests. I've still got a lot of work to do with white and red ball."