World Cup star Starc refuses rest

As arguably the greatest bowler in World Cup history, it's little wonder Mitchell Starc doesn't want to miss a game.

The left-armer extended his dominant run in the showpiece tournament as he stormed to the top of this edition's leading wicket-taking charts with a vital 4-55 in Australia's 87-run win over Sri Lanka.

It comes at the end of grueling run of four games in nine days.

With an Ashes series to follow the World Cup, ensuring their key bowlers aren't overworked is a high priority for Australia, but Starc is strongly against being rested for any matches in their 50-over title defence.

"If I'm fit, I'd like to (play every game)," said the 29-year-old. "Ultimately it's not up to me, but it's a World Cup.

"I think you've got to play your best XI, depending on conditions and the team we play.

"But I definitely won't be putting up my hand to rest."

Glenn McGrath, who claimed 71 World Cup scalps at 18.19 in 39 games, is the only Australian to have taken more wickets at the tournament than Starc, who drew level with Brett Lee on 35 wickets on Saturday.

Yet, in terms of both bowling average and strike-rate (among bowlers to have bowled at least 500 balls) Starc is unrivalled.

The speedster takes a wicket every 18.8 balls and every 13.51 runs conceded, the best figures recorded by any bowler in World Cup history.

In an era where scores are growing larger and conditions increasingly favouring batsmen, they're phenomenal numbers from 13 games across the 2015 and 2019 editions of the tournament played on opposite sides of the globe.

Starc recently became the fastest bowler to 150 ODI wickets, earning him the nickname 'FLOAT' (fastest left-armer of all time) from close friend Nathan Lyon, who goes by the moniker 'GOAT (greatest off-spinner of all-time).

Along with NSW bowling coach Andre Adams, Starc in the lead-in to this year’s event studied footage of his bowling at the 2015 World Cup, where he claimed player-of-the-tournament honours and led Australia to the title.

His dismissal of Brendon McCullum in the first over of the final and his six-wicket haul in New Zealand's thrilling one-wicket win at Eden Park have gone down as iconic World Cup moments.

Image Id: D2F4C0A3F70D4F58A87A6FF1A0FE8DC5 Image Caption: Mitchell Starc celebrates an unforgettable delivery to Brendon McCullum at the 2015 World Cup // Getty

Following an up-and-down summer in which he struggled at times for his best form in the Test arena, Starc has stripped his game back to basics.

"I just try to keep my one-day bowling very simple," he continued. "I don't try to have all these different variations, I'm pretty focused on what I want to do.

"What I've added (from the last World Cup) is being able to play different roles. In different conditions… I might come back to try and take wickets and I might go for more runs, but I'm there to try and make a breakthrough.

"Test cricket is still the pinnacle for me but the fact I’ve kept it pretty simple in terms of my game-plan for white-ball cricket has held me in good stead through World Cups."

2019 World Cup

Australia's squad: Aaron Finch (c), Jason Behrendorff, Alex Carey (wk), Nathan Coulter-Nile, Pat Cummins, Usman Khawaja, Nathan Lyon, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa

June 1: Australia beat Afghanistan by seven wickets

June 6: Australia beat West Indies by 15 runs

June 9: Australia lost to India by 36 runs

June 12: Australia beat Pakistan by 41 runs

June 15: Australia beat Sri Lanka by 87 runs

June 20: Australia v Bangladesh, Trent Bridge

June 25: England v Australia, Lord's

June 29: New Zealand v Australia, Lord's (D/N)

July 6: Australia v South Africa, Old Trafford (D/N)

July 9: Semi-Final 1, Old Trafford

July 11: Semi-Final 2, Edgbaston

July 14: Final, Lord's

Sync Australia's World Cup schedule to your calendar HERE

For a full list of all World Cup fixtures, click HERE