Starc quitting T20I adds to list of absentees from WC

Mitchell Starc is good in any form of cricket.

- Rasesh Mandani

He just looks so much more threatening in whites only because fewer bowlers can do things he can with the red ball and the pink. To set pulses racing on juicy home decks in the Ashes, to try trapping Indian Test batters with reverse swing all over again, the Australian left-arm quick has decided to relieve himself from T20I duties, calling it a day from the format on Tuesday.

International retirements don’t surprise any longer. Test retirements have become most common with the growth of a parallel short-format league universe. Faced with a choice, many cricketers abandon ODI cricket, first. Marcus Stoinis, Steve Smith, Glenn Maxwell all went down that route.

But the growing trend of players giving up on T20Is should concern the authorities the most. Starc’s announcement comes six months ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup. In an ideal world, this should be countdown time to promote the marquee event of a format which is the present and the future, the game's revenue driver. An appropriate time to tease Starc’s toe crushing yorkers on what to expect in India-Sri Lanka.