Windies re-watch has Starc on song for NSW ahead of Ashes

Mitchell Starc says his bowling is starting to click again, after taking four wickets on his return to first-class cricket against Victoria at the SCG.

Playing his first red-ball match in almost four months, Starc bowled with speed and went through Victoria's top order before the visitors finished at 7-340 on Monday at the SCG.

The Test quick finished with 4-91 then told Australia coach Andrew McDonald he was back to feeling himself at the bowling crease again, 11 days out from the Ashes.

On a Sydney wicket Starc labelled as "docile", Peter Handscomb hit 104 for Victoria before he joined Marcus Harris in falling victim to Nathan Lyon (2-65).

Josh Hazlewood also got through 18 overs in a pre-Ashes warm up, bowling with good rhythm and having Handscomb dropped on zero in the slips.

But the star of the day was Starc, who admitted afterwards his bowling had felt slightly off in his two recent ODIs against India after a lengthy rest.

The left-armer said he had spent the past week reviewing footage of when he took 6-9 against West Indies in his last Test in July, before feeling better on Monday.

"I couldn't quite put my finger on it, and I was trying to work it out through the ODIs," Starc said.

"I asked for a side-by-side (footage) of the spell in Jamaica and the spell in Adelaide, just to try and work out what was different.

"I've just been speaking to 'Ronnie' (McDonald) then. I think I've sorted it out. Now it's just getting the engine going again."

If there was one spell that should loom as a warning to England, it was Starc's after lunch effort to Victorian youngster Campbell Kellaway.

After trapping Harry Dixon lbw with his trademark inswinging yorker to the left-hander before lunch, Starc gave Kellaway a working over.

He struck the Victorian opener on the fingers once, while another ball ballooned off the gloves and just over Steve Smith at second slip.

Kellaway did well to progress to 51, but Starc eventually had his man when 23-year-old gloved a ball down the leg side to wicketkeeper Josh Philippe.

Oliver Peake came and went quickly for a duck, superbly caught by Kurtis Patterson when he crunched his third ball from Starc to gully.

"It's a pretty docile wicket and that's been my role, to try and bowl fast and be a little bit aggressive," Starc said.

"I felt like that spell was where I felt pretty close."

There was also a hint of the 'Bazball' approach from Victoria wicketkeeper Sam Harper (54) after tea, but Starc withstood the onslaught and prevailed.

Harper hooked Starc for one six deep into the Brewongle Stand and pulled him for another towards the Members Pavilion.

But after the Victorian took 22 runs from the first five balls of a Starc over to bring up his half-century, the left-armer had him caught on the midwicket boundary.

With all the action at the other end, Handscomb showed a calm head for his second century of the summer.

After making the most of his early life, he got in the groove when he cover-drove Sean Abbott for four and worked the ball nicely behind square.

He was eventually bowled by a Lyon ball that went straight on and beat him on the outside edge, while the Test spinner also had Harris superbly caught at bat pad by Sam Konstas earlier in the day.

NSW opener Will Salzmann was substituted out of the match just after lunch with a hamstring tear have injured his left leg trying to save a boundary in the fourth over of the match.

He was replaced in the Blues XI by Ryan Hicks under Cricket Australia's injury replacement trial, which is in place for the first five rounds of the Shield season.

Sheffield Shield 2025-26 standings

Team	Matches played M	Wins W	Losses L	Drawn D	No results N/R	Deductions Ded.	Batting Bonus Bat	Bowling Bonus Bowl	Total points PTS
1 Victoria Men VIC	6	5	1	0	0	0	5.87	5.3	41.17
2 Queensland Bulls QLD	6	2	2	2	0	0	8.18	4.2	26.38
3 South Australia Men SA	6	2	2	2	0	0	4.69	5.6	24.29
4 NSW Men NSW	6	2	3	1	0	0	4.65	4.9	22.55
5 Tasmanian Tigers Men TAS	6	2	3	1	0	2	3.34	5	19.34
6 Western Australia Men WA	6	1	3	2	0	0	1.61	5.5	15.11

Legend

M: Matches played

W: Wins

L: Losses

D: Drawn

N/R: No results

Ded.: Deductions

Bat: Batting Bonus

Bowl: Bowling Bonus

PTS: Total points