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Starc set to return against Vics

Matador Cup leading wicket-taker named in 14-man group to take on Victoria on Sunday

Mitchell Starc has been added to the 14-man NSW Blues squad to take on Victoria tomorrow at North Sydney Oval in the Matador BBQs One-Day Cup.

Starc was rested for yesterday’s clash against Queensland at Drummoyne Oval which the Blues comfortably won by 146 runs to cement their spot in the competition’s final on October 25.

Right-arm quick Josh Hazlewood replaced Starc in the Blues line-up, taking 2-23 from 10 overs in his first match back since the fourth Ashes Test against England at Trent Bridge in August. 

Highlights: Smith leads Blues to fifth win

Both Hazlewood and Starc have been named in the squad to face the Commonwealth Bank Bushrangers tomorrow, with veteran paceman Doug Bollinger dropping out.

Starc’s potential return is bad news for Victoria, who are battling South Australia and Tasmania for one of the final two positions for a spot in next Friday’s elimination final where the winner will face NSW at North Sydney Oval tow days later.

Victoria’s chances of finishing in the top three were dinted yesterday after losing to a resurgent Redbacks outfit by 17 runs at Bankstown Oval. 

Highlights: Redbacks bounce back to beat Bushrangers 

Starc has 19 wickets from four matches this tournament at an incredible average of six, and the towering left-armer has taken at least four wickets in his last six one-day matches for the Blues, stretching back to the 2011-12 season.

The 25-year-old is five wickets away from shattering Victorian fast bowler Shane Harwood’s competition record of 24 wickets, set back in 2008-09.

Starc has continued his impressive one-day form from the 2015 Cricket World Cup that was played in Australia and New Zealand, where he was named player of the tournament for his 22 wickets, and Australia’s 3-2 series win over England last month. 

NSW Blues: Steve Smith (captain), Sean Abbott, Ryan Carters, Ed Cowan, Josh Hazlewood, Moises Henriques, Nathan Lyon, Nic Maddinson, Peter Nevill, Stephen O’Keefe, Kurtis Patterson, Gurinder Sandhu, Mitchell Starc, Shane Watson 

Watch: Starc's stunning Matador Cup