Brisbane [Australia], December 6 : Following a domineering play of Test cricket on day three, Australian pacer Michael Neser expressed his awe for veteran pacer Mitchell Starc, calling him the "greatest leftie of all time". He also spoke about being able to represent Australia once again following a hamstring injury last season.
Starc delivered another all-time excellent performance in a pink-ball Test, following his first innings six-wicket haul with a tenacious 77 to give the Aussies a 177-run first innings lead and ended the day with two crucial scalps of Joe Root and Jamie Smith to leave England six down, still trailing by 54 and on the verge of a 0-2 scoreline in the ongoing Ashes.
Speaking during the post-day presser, Neser said about Starc, "He is a special player. He does not like to admit it, but he is the GOAT (Greatest of All Time). The greatest leftie of all time. He does it with a ball and bat. To witness and see him do what he does, his longevity is amazing and something to admire. That last spell he bowled was one of his quickest spells of the whole game. Shows how much of an athlete and competitor he is."
Neser sustained a hamstring injury in November last year while playing for Australia A against India A, leaving any chances of him featuring in the Border-Gavaskar Trophy against India last year to none. With this Brisbane Test, he has managed to add another Test to his career and now has three Tests to his name alongside two ODIs.
"After last season, when I was bowling superbly, and I felt I could get my chance, I did my hammy really badly. I thought, bugger that, could have been my chance. You always dream of playing for Australia. To be given another chance, I am very honoured," he said.
Speaking on his two caught-and-bowled dismissals to remove Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope, who played the ball straight into his hands. Neser said that his "stump to stump strategy" as a bowler gives him chances to pull off such dismissals.
"The type of bowler I am, stump to stump, I get a plenty of caught and bowled chances. The (Ben) Duckett's hit was harder so it was 50-50, the other two, were regulation catches," he said.
Speaking on his role within the bowling line-up, Neser said, "My role is different from other quicks, I have been a shorter bowler, maybe not as quick. But I got to keep batters on the crease and bring the stumps into the play."
He also hailed Starc for helping Aussies bide their time and give them just enough time to bowl under the lights with a new pink ball.
"Starc bided his time and put us in a great position to bowl under lights with the new pink-ball. Probably did not start as well as we could, but the way we pulled back our lengths and worked on our game plans, it was good," he concluded.
Australia cemented their dominance in the second Ashes Test at The Gabba on day three, first extending their substantial first-innings lead before their bowlers struck crucial blows under the floodlights to leave England reeling at 134/6, still trailing by 43 runs, in their second innings.
Resuming at 378/6, with a 44-run lead in response to England's first innings 334 runs, Australia's lower order, led by Mitchell Starc, ensured the home side capitalised fully on their position. Starc, who came into the day unbeaten, smashed 77 runs, helping Australia stretch their first innings total to 511. He joined hands with Scott Boland (21) to stitch a crucial 75-run partnership. Wicketkeeper Alex Carey also made a valuable 63. Brydon Carse was the pick of the English bowlers, finishing with 4/152.
The final few wickets fell relatively quickly after the pair's partnership, with England's bowlers toiling in the morning session. The massive total meant Australia secured a commanding 177-run first-innings lead.
Chasing down the 177-run deficit under the day-night conditions, openers Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett started things aggressively. They did well to wipe off 48 runs from the deficit in just 7.3 overs. However, the Australian quicks soon found their rhythm as Scott Boland claimed the first wicket, trapping Ben Duckett (15). The key breakthroughs came later with Michael Neser removing both Ollie Pope (26) and the set opener Zak Crawley (44).
While the England batters continued to score at a good run rate, the Aussie quicks kept chipping away at regular intervals. The day ended with the wicket of England wicket-keeper Jaimie Smith (4), who was removed by Starc. Earlier, Joe Root (15) and Harry Brook (15) fell to Starc and Scott Boland, respectively, marking a key turnaround in the momentum of England's innings. Starc, Neser and Boland ended the day with two wickets each to their names.
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