Is Mitchell Starc retiring? Aussie pace spearhead hints at quitting one format to open doors for others

After resisting the lure of lucrative private leagues for almost a decade because of his commitment towards the Baggy Green Australian pacer Mitchell Starc has hinted that he might quit one format to make room for more franchise cricket in his scheduleWhile the 34yearold didnt specify the format he intends to give up it is likely to be ODIs considering that the next 50over World Cup is in 2027Starc who was bought for a record 2475 crore by Kolkata Knight Riders was magnificent in the business end of the tournament He ended up with 17 wickets including five in the two knockout games to engineer a dominant title triumph for the Shah Rukh Khanowned teamTo a query from PTI as to how he would take it up from here after his best year in franchise cricket Starc hinted that T20s could gain prominence in his rosterFor the last nine years I certainly prioritised Australian cricket I have pulled out often to have a chance to give my body a break and spend some time away from cricket with my wife as well so thats certainly been where my head has been for last nine years Starc said after his matchwinning 214 in the IPL final against Sunrisers HyderabadMoving forward I am certainly close to the end of my career than the start One format may be dropped off as there is long time till next World Cup and whether that format drops off or not that will open doors for a lot of franchise cricket the King of Swing saidAlso ReadlsquoKorbo Lorbo Jeetbo rersquo done rightHe mentioned that this years IPL will help him in preparing for the T20 World Cup in West Indies starting June 1thats the other side of benefit of being here some amazing players in an amazing tournament and great lead up to WT20 and success has been fantastic It is great that a lot of players are in good position heading into the World Cup he saidHe is hopeful of turning up for KKR even next yearI dont know the schedule exactly but I have thoroughly enjoyed and hope to be back next year and hopefully seen in purple and gold againStarc like many others agreed that the Impact Player rule led to tall scores in the IPL and the World T20 wont witness insane totals like 270 He said he foresees more help for spinners from wornout tracksT20 is not as physically demanding as Test cricket and its been warm humid so that plays a part but thats fine It would be cooler there in the West Indies than here he said when asked how his body is holding up after two months of IPLTheres the Impact Player Rule here and thats not the case in the World Cup and after that you have to put a team thats more balanced and you rely more on allrounders You cant have your batting allrounder coming in at No 9 like they do in IPLI dont think the runs would be that much I dont think 270 can be scored Wickets may play a part as we have seen highscoring matches here and wickets wont be same in West Indies They might turn and will be a bit more tired and towards end of tournament they might pose more of a threat staying low and hope bowlers come into play more than they have come through in IPL he saidDuring the first phase where he was trying to find rhythm Starc copped a lot of criticism and it wasnt surprising that his multicrore price tag was an issue He doesnt think much of thatYou dont need extra motivation I am here as an overseas international Its not like for that last night Qualifier 1 or this final that I have been brought over hereI am glad to contribute There are jokes throughout and there is only friendly banter and price tags dont bother me now as I have had plenty of critics throughout my careerIn the end his one statement summed it up allTonight was a perfect nightWith agency inputs