Former Australian skipper Tim Paine has tipped Mitchell Starc to be a huge weapon in the upcoming T20 World Cup. Starc scalped 17 wickets in 14 matches in IPL 2024 at an average of 26.11 and an economy rate of 10.61.

The left-arm seamer once again showed why he is a big match player as he returned with impressive figures of 3-34 in his quota of four overs against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the first qualifier. Starc got the big wicket of compatriot Travis Head in the first over and gave a perfect start to his team.

The Australian continued his rich form in the summit clash against the Orange Army as he dismissed Abhishek Sharma with a jaffa and returned with 2-14 in the three overs he bowled. Thus, Starc was awarded Player of the Match in both of these big games and played a key role in taking KKR to glory.

Starc was not at his best in the league stage as he was on the expensive side but turned a corner in the playoffs. Paine recalled how Starc knocked over the former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum in the 2015 World Cup final in the first over.

“He realised that with international cricket, you are going to get picked apart in the middle. But I think he nailed it. His record in the first overs of big games is amazing. He has done it at the MCG, we will never forget that. He knocked down Brendon McCullum. He has done that time and time again,” Paine said on ESPN Cricinfo.

“I think he is a victim of his own really high standards. People expect absolute brilliance from him everytime he walks on to the field. And more often than not, he has produced… When he is on, he is as good as any other player who has ever played cricket, and he is gonna be a huge weapon in this coming World Cup again,” Paine added.

Australia begin their T20 World Cup campaign against Oman on June 5 at the Kensington Oval, Bridgetown, Barbados.