'I remember he was bowling to Sachin..': Ponting reflects on Starc's masterful spell against Sachin, predicting his rise to cricket stardom

With a bowling spell for the ages in Jamaica in the 3rd Test against the West Indies, Mitchell Starc has once again echoed his brilliance in the world of cricket. Playing his 100th Test, Starc triggered a generational collapse as West Indies were bundled out at a meagre total of 27. Starc finished with a career-best figure of 6 for 9.

Ricky Ponting recollects Starc’s memorable spell against Sachin Tendulkar

As Mitchell Starc blazed past the West Indies batting order, former Australia captain Ricky Ponting hailed the pacer and reflected on the moment when he first knew Starc was destined for greatness. Ponting recollected the instance when Starc bowled a fiery spell to India’s batting legend Sachin Tendulkar in his 3rd Test.

“I remember, he was bowling a spell to Sachin Tendulkar and was able to sort of bowl a short one, get up under Sachin’s armpit and Sachin just sort of knocked one into short leg on the leg side,” Ponting told the ICC Review.

“And when you could see that sort of pace and bounce and have someone like Sachin not be able to cope with it, I think that was the reassurance for all of us that there was probably something extra special there for Mitchell Starc," he added.

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Since then, Mitchell Starc has come a long way. From cementing his place as one of the bowling spearheads to becoming one of the greatest to ever grace the game, Mitchell Starc will enter the ICC’s hall of fame one day. As a seasoned bowler for Australia, Starc has picked up heaps of wickets in every format of the game. The 35-year-old has played 100 tests and taken 402 wickets. In ODIs, he has represented Australia in 127 games and has picked 244 wickets at an outstanding average of 23.40. In the shortest format of the game, he has snared 79 dismissals in 65 matches.