Starc says South Africa crowds will be rowdy but no real animosity
Mitchell Starc expects hostile crowds at Durban's Kingsmead Stadium but says Australia and South Africa's rivalry is now civil.
Australia's cricket tour of South Africa begins this week with the first ODI on Thursday. The opening Test is in Durban on October 9.
Mitchell Starc is a 36-year-old fast bowler who is ready for noisy crowds and says there is no real animosity between the teams, unlike the confrontational 2018 tour. Kingsmead's Castle Corner can get rowdy when alcohol flows freely, but Starc can switch off the noise.
The two teams know each other well through franchise T20 cricket. Stand-in captain Mitch Marsh will plot ways to dismiss Ryan Rickelton after captaining him in The Hundred for Sunrisers Leeds.
Starc played alongside several players in the IPL. Despite these friendships off the field, both teams want to win convincingly.
Conditions in Durban are humid and wet after recent storms, quite different from the dry, baked pitches of 2018.
- 36
- Starc's age
- 9
- Wickets in 2018 Durban Test
- October 9
- Test date at Kingsmead
- 8
- Years since last visit
Why it mattersModern franchise leagues are shaping cricket rivalries. International tours now happen between teammates who know each other well.
AustraliaAustralia begins its South African cricket tour with high stakes and a chance to test itself against a World Test Championship threat.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 8 h ago
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