Comparisons to Australia's spearhead bode well for young Victorian paceman Tom O'Donnell
Starc comparisons for young Victorian quick
Mitchell Starc's cricketing legacy is still in its infancy but his lethal form on the international stage has already inspired at least one young left-arm quick.
Victorian prospect Tom O’Donnell has impressed for the National Performance Squad in the Quadrangular A series in Queensland, where cricket followers have been quick to pick up on the striking resemblance his bowling action bears to Starc’s.
Quick single: Burns named in Aus A four-day squad
O’Donnell has used that familiar high load-up and snappy release to good effect in the one-day series, picking up six wickets in the two matches he’s played for the NPS, including 4-28 in their most recent game against India A.
The 19-year-old’s highlight reel of edges induced with the new ball and stumps shattered with the old ball looks eerily similar to ones featuring Starc.
And while O’Donnell suggests he hasn’t intentionally sought to copy the action of Australia's pace spearhead, he suggests he's adopted elements of Starc's devastating method.
"I guess it’s a bit of a coincidence," O’Donnell told cricket.com.au about the similarities between the pair.
"I suppose I’m tall and lanky (like him). Having personally had a little bit of success in the past couple of games and the way he’s going about it at the moment, people are going to draw on that.
"What Mitch is doing at the moment is unbelievable, so every young cricketer around the country is going to be watching what he’s doing and trying to get as much as they can from what he does.
"I’m just trying doing my own thing but I’ve definitely drawn a few things from the way he’s gone about it."
It’s been whirlwind winter for the son of former Australia allrounder Simon O'Donnell.
In April, he was awarded a rookie contract with the Commonwealth Bank Bushrangers, after making huge strides last summer in impressing for Victoria’s and Australia’s under-19 sides, as well being a development rookie with the Melbourne Renegades in the KFC Big Bash League.
O'Donnell was then chosen in a 17-man NPS squad for a three-month intensive program at the Bupa National Cricket Centre in Brisbane.
Quick single: Maxwell hits straps ahead of Sri Lanka T20s
It's been a remarkable rise for the Xavier College-product, was playing in the Third XI for his Victorian Premier Cricket club side Essendon just one season prior.
But after finding a yard of pace, O’Donnell is suddenly a hot prospect, a rise reflected in his selection as one of the NPS players to help Australia prepare for their Test series in Sri Lanka.
It was on the small island nation that O’Donnell linked up with Starc for the first time.
The raw fast-bowler picked up the wicket of Josh Hazlewood with his first ball in an intra-squad match, and he later got the chance to discuss tactics with fellow left-armer Starc.
Though he admits to being a little overawed at the company he was in.
"That was the first time I’d been around a preparing Test side so I tried to sit in the corner and watch how they went about it and not disturb anyone," O’Donnell admitted from Mackay, where the NPS next face South Africa A on Wednesday in their final Quadrangular series group match..
"But Mitch was nice enough to have a talk with me at one stage and we had a chat about what was going on during the intra-squad tour match.
"He was awesome to speak to and to watch him then in the official tour match they played was great.
"To watch him prepare and go into that series where he did really well was a really good learning curve for me."
With Starc going on to take 24 Sri Lankan wickets in the three Tests, a solitary bright spot in a disappointing 3-0 series whitewash, comparisons to him certainly bode well for O’Donnell.
Under the tutelage of NPS fast-bowling mentors Troy Cooley, Joe Dawes and former Test quick Ryan Harris, a major focus for the seamers in Brisbane has been swinging the ball, according to O’Donnell.
It's this increased attention on shifting the ball through the air, something he admits hasn't been a strength of his in his short career to date, that may have seen O’Donnell’s action grow in likeness to Starc.
Quick single: 'Natural' Warner adjusts to change in life
And seen him continue his rapid improvement as a fast-bowler.
"There’s been a real emphasis on swing here,” he said.
"Throughout the grade cricket season last year for Essendon, I didn’t really get a lot of swing. Even in the state under 19s and Australia 19s, I wasn’t getting much swing.
"It was (only movement) off the pitch and (so I was) just trying to bash a length.
"Just naturally through trying to swing it and maybe a little change here and there, my action’s evolved to what it is now.
"Hopefully I’ve found something that works, I can stick with that and have some success with it."