[Watch] When Mitch Starc Bowled Absolute Ripper To Send McCullum Packing In WC Final
Starc got the better of McCullum in WC Final (x.com)
The 2015 World Cup final may have ended in a one-sided affair but not without witnessing some scintillating moments. One such moment was Mitchell Starc’s thunderbolt yorker to New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum which triggered a monumental explosion inside the stadium.
The Melbourne Stadium was packed with nearly 93,000 spectators on that day. Almost all of them stood on their feet to applaud the prize wicket of McCullum which instantly became one of the most iconic moments in World Cup history.
McCullum was in the form of his life and had quickly earned a reputation for his belligerent hitting during that World Cup tournament. It was paramount for the Aussies to get rid of him as early as they could if they were to mount any sort of pressure on the Blackcaps.
During the 5th ball of the first over, Mitchell Starc fired an immaculate in-swinging yorker, which was right up into the blockhole and swung into McCullum pretty late. The explosive batter was just a shade late in bringing his at down in time.
Following that dismissal, the then commentator Bill Lawry was on air who jumped in excitement, and said the following - "What a ripper!"
[Watch] Starc get better of Baz with a ripper:
The wicket of McCullum was no fluke. Australia, like most teams during the tournament, had felt the wrath of the Kiwi captain who was in breathtaking form at the top of the order. The former Australia captain took cognizance of how his Kiwi counterpart attacked against the new ball during the powerplay overs.
In a conversation with cricket.com.au., Clarke revealed that he and his men worked out a strategy to dismiss the lethal Kiwi opener. He advised his bowlers to keep it full and bowl with a death-over mindset.
"When you think of the last five overs of the game when guys are trying to hit us out of the park, what's our go-to ball?” Everyone said, 'the yorker'.
"To Brendon McCullum, no matter how long he bats for, that's our plan. We're bowling like it's at the death of the game."
Starc finished the World Cup campaign on a high emerging as the leading wicket-taker of that tournament. He finished with 22 wickets under his belt averaging at a jaw-dropping low of 10.18.
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