Mitchell Starc will miss the Blues’ next Sheffield Shield game after Cricket NSW confirmed his father Paul had died from cancer. The Australian fast bowler pulled out of the clash with Victoria, beginning on Thursday at Bankstown Oval, as he mourns the loss of his dad, who passed away on Tuesday. Along with Starc, the speedster’s wife Alyssa Healy has also withdrawn her name from the New South Wales team from the next two WNCL fixtures.
The tragic news comes after Starc pulled out of Australia’s bio-secure bubble during the T20 series against India in December because of a family illness. “There is nothing in the world more important than family and in this case Mitch is no exception,” Australia coach Justin Langer said at the time. Starc has a brother, Brandon, who is an Australian high jumper who won gold at the 2018 Commonwealth Games. The Australian Commonweath Games team’s official Twitter account posted: “Our thoughts are with Brandon Starc and his family after the passing of his father.” Starc’s form was a talking point during the Test series against India, which the visitors won 2-1. The left-armer picked up 11 wickets in four Tests, but only managed three wickets in two matches with the series on the line in Sydney and Brisbane.
