Australia's Starc Dismisses Hazlewood's England Comments as 'Blown Out of Proportion'

Australia's victory over Scotland in the T20 World Cup 2024 has sparked controversy after comments made by Josh Hazlewood suggesting that Australia would benefit from eliminating England from the tournament. However, Mitchell Starc has dismissed these claims as "blown out of proportion" by the media.

Hazlewood's initial remarks, made earlier in the week, hinted at a scenario where Australia could "drag out" their match against Scotland to potentially hinder England's progress. The Australian camp has since downplayed the comments, emphasizing that Hazlewood was joking and his words were taken out of context.

Despite having nothing to play for in the match against Scotland, Australia's performance was far from their best. They dropped six catches and struggled in the chase, raising questions about their approach. However, Travis Head, Marcus Stoinis, and Tim David eventually guided Australia to victory with two balls to spare.

Mitchell Marsh, Australia's captain, dismissed any suggestion that England's fate had been a topic of discussion within the team. "I think more externally than internally," he said.

Starc, who was critical of the tournament's pre-seeding structure, also defended Hazlewood's comments. "I think a throwaway line has been blown right out of proportion by you lot," he said, referring to the media. "We're here to win games. It's international cricket."

Brandon McMullen, Scotland's top scorer, expressed confidence in Australia's intentions. "They're always going to put up a good fight," he said.

Despite the controversy, Australia's victory ensures England's progress to the Super Eight. However, the tournament's structure has come under scrutiny, with Starc questioning the fairness of pre-seeding and the potential for information asymmetry.

Tags: #T20WorldCup2024, #Australia, #England, #JoshHazlewood, #MitchellStarc