Mitchell Starc reflected on a personal moment before delivering a remarkable performance in the ongoing Test series against South Africa.

The Australian left-arm pacer turned his fortunes around dramatically to claim six wickets on the opening day of the third Test.

Mitchell Starc produced a sensational performance on the opening day of the third Test between Australia and South Africa, finishing with figures of 6/72. The left-arm pacer helped Australia fight back after the visitors had built a strong position during the first innings.

However, Starc’s performance came after a difficult spell in the ongoing series, during which he admitted that several things had not felt right. The Australian pacer revealed that he had spent some time looking for answers before delivering one of his most impressive spells of the series.

Mitchell Starc opens up on a late-night moment before his comeback

Starc revealed that he reviewed footage of his bowling from the Durban Test and compared it with clips from the Ashes. He examined the footage alongside Australia’s assistant coach James Franklin, head coach Andrew McDonald and his wife, Alyssa Healy who has watched him play plenty of cricket. The left-armer said the review did not reveal any significant technical differences in his bowling action. Instead, he concluded that the problem was more about how his bowling felt rather than an obvious flaw in his technique.

“There’ve been a lot of things that haven’t felt right through the series. I just had a bit of a look at some footage from the Test in Durban with some overlay from the Ashes, just seeing if there was anything through the action, which there wasn’t really. It was just more a feel thing. I was probably looking too far into it. There wasn’t really much difference in the action,” Starc said, as quoted by ESPNcricinfo.

Starc’s sensational spell turns the game around

Starc’s performance in the third Test marked a remarkable turnaround after he had conceded 62 runs without taking a wicket in his first 12 overs. He eventually finished the day with 6/72, claiming his 20th five-wicket haul in Test cricket. South Africa had dominated large portions of the innings, building a 158-run opening partnership and reaching 327/6 late in the day. Australia, however, found a way back through Starc’s devastating bowling.

The pacer first struck with the older ball while Australia used a bouncer-heavy approach. He then returned with the new ball and dismantled South Africa’s lower order, claiming four wickets in six deliveries through a superb display of swing bowling. South Africa were eventually bowled out for 329, giving Australia renewed momentum after a challenging day. Starc’s ability to work through his concerns and find his rhythm again proved decisive in changing the course of the innings.