LONDON: Australian skipper Michael Clarke claimed that pace spearhead Mitchell Starc has reacted positively to treatment on his injured right ankle over the past two days and would be available for t he game.
Starc was the standout bowler for the visitors during their 169-run defeat in the first Test in Cardiff, taking seven wickets, but showed visible signs of discomfort during England’s first innings and requiring a cortisone injection to complete the match.
While Cricket Australia have not specified the nature of the problem, the 25-year-old has developed bone spurs in the area twice already in his career and is understood to be suffering a recurrence of the condition.
Starc has been able to continue bowling with bone spurs in the past – which are calcified growths that develop as a reaction to impact on the joint – playing two Tests against India in 2013 before undergoing surgery that saw him sidelined for two-and-a-half months.
Clarke, said: “Starcy obviously had some ankle pain and had an injection to bowl in the second innings, but the positive again was the fact that he was able to bowl and do what was needed for the team.”
