The Ashes 2025-26: Steven Finn on why Australia fast bowler Mitchell Starc excels with the pink ball

The Australian quick bowler Mitchell Starc is the master of the pink ball, and his ability to excel with it has been the key to his success in day-night Ashes matches. According to Steven Finn, an England cricketer who has played under the pink lights before, picking up the ball out of the hand will be crucial for England to compete with Starc.

Sarc's average speed is the highest of any bowler to have taken a wicket in a day-night Test, and he swings the pink ball more than most other bowlers. His natural full length and the fact that his deliveries are always above 87mph make him nearly unplayable at times. England's quickest bowler Mark Wood had nine wickets against Australia in one pink-ball match four years ago, proving that with the right fast bowlers on their side, England can compete.

However, it won't be easy. Starc is a master of reading the game and making adjustments to his strategy mid-inning. He doesn't give away any clues about his intentions through his run-up or action, which makes him nearly impossible for batters to distinguish between swinging and wobbling seams. Even top-class Australian batsman Steve Smith had to adapt by wearing black patches under his eyes.

The key for England now is finding the same hostility, pace, and skill in Brisbane as Starc showed in Perth. If their bowlers can replicate that level of performance against Australia's batting line-up, there is no doubt they will be able to cause them big problems.
 
I think its gonna b so tough for england 2 beat aus with starc on thir side ๐Ÿคฏ he's like a master of the pink ball lol! but dey gotta find a way 2 stop him from swingin & wobblin those seams or els aus is gonna smash dem ๐Ÿ’ฅ i no dey have some talented bowlers too, esp mark wood, so lets hope dey can bring out thir A-game ๐Ÿคž
 
omg australia r gonna crush england again!! but seriously, i think steve smiths secret to beating starc was those black patches lol, genius move! anyway, mark wood better step up his game if england wanna compete, that 9 wickets in a single match is crazy impressive ๐Ÿคฏ๐ŸŸ๏ธ
 
I'm so curious about this pink ball thingy... how do the players know when it's going to swing or wobble? ๐Ÿค” And what's up with Starc being a master of reading the game? Does he just have some kind of sixth sense or something? ๐Ÿ˜‚ It seems like it would be super tough for batters to figure out his strategy. I mean, even Steve Smith had to wear patches under his eyes! That's kinda crazy... how did that work out for him? ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™‚๏ธ
 
I'm telling ya, this pink ball thingy is taking over the cricket scene ๐Ÿคฏ! It's so important for England to find a bowler who can give Starc a run for his money. I mean, 9 wickets from Mark Wood in one match? That's insane! ๐Ÿ˜ฒ The key for England now is to get their bowlers to swing that pink ball like Starc does - it's not just about pace and hostility, it's got to be finesse too ๐Ÿค”. They need to find a way to outsmart Starc, who's basically reading the game mid-inning and making adjustments on the fly ๐Ÿ”. It's going to be tough for England to compete if their bowlers can't match up with him. Bring it on! ๐Ÿ’ช
 
Ugh, I'm so over this pink ball thingy ๐Ÿ™„... like it's already proven itself to be the Aussie advantage ๐Ÿ‡ฆ๐Ÿ‡บ but seriously, England needs to step up their game if they wanna compete against Starc and co. The guy's like a ninja, can't even get a read off him ๐Ÿ‘€ his ability to adapt mid-game is insane ๐Ÿคฏ and I'm not sure how many times you can watch Steve Smith wear black patches under his eyes before it starts to look like he's trying out for a different sport ๐Ÿ™ƒ
 
๐Ÿค” this pink ball thingy is gettin some serious love... like Starc is the real deal, but England needs to step up their game with their fast bowlers ๐Ÿ”„ Wood might've had a decent show in the past, but can they keep that momentum? ๐Ÿ“‰ And what's with batters havin to wear black patches under their eyes? ๐Ÿ˜‚ is that just another thing Starc's cracked... or is he just really good at makin stuff hard for others?
 
I think England has a legit shot at taking down Starc but only if they bring their A-game on that Brisbane turf ๐ŸŸ๏ธ๐Ÿ’ช. I mean, Wood showed us what the Aussies are made of in those pink-ball matches and now it's time for England to step up their pace game ๐Ÿ”ฅ. But let's be real, Starc is a genius with that pink ball - he knows exactly how to unsettle batters ๐Ÿคฏ. If England can't figure out his read of the game, they're gonna get skittled ๐Ÿ’ฃ. The question is, who's gonna step up and take on the mantle like Mark Wood did? ๐Ÿค”
 
๐Ÿค” I think England needs to figure out how to deal with Starc's unpredictable movements on the pitch. It's like he knows exactly what you're going for before you even make your move! ๐Ÿ•ณ๏ธ He's got an uncanny ability to read the game and adjust his strategy mid-inning, which is super tough for batters to handle. But if they can find a way to match his level of skill and hostility, I think England might just have a shot at beating Australia in Brisbane ๐Ÿ”ฅ
 
I think this pink ball thingy is gonna make for some wild cricket matches ๐Ÿคฏ! I mean, Starc is like a magician out there, making the ball swing and dip like crazy. But England's gotta step up their game if they wanna compete with him. They need to find those same skills and hostility in Brisbane too ๐Ÿ’ช. It's not just about having a fast bowler, it's about reading the game and adapting mid-inning like Starc does. And for England to win, they'll need some top-notch batsmen to take on Australia's attack ๐Ÿค”. Can't wait to see how this plays out! ๐Ÿ‘€
 
I think its gonna b a tough match 4 england 2 win! ๐Ÿ˜… starc's got some wicked skills w/ the pink ball ๐Ÿคฏ & its not easy 2 compete w/ him. but i gotta say, marwood's been lookin pretty good lately ๐Ÿค” & if they cld find some1 similar in pace & skill 2 starc, they might b alright ๐Ÿ‘ 4ashleymayn ๐Ÿ˜Ž
 
omg I dont get why they need to use a pink ball tho its so hard on the eyes lol like how do the players even see the seams? ๐Ÿ˜‚ anyway back to Starc he sounds like such a genius with that ball i mean he can swing it all over the place and stuff... but isnt that kinda boring for the viewers to watch? ๐Ÿค” dont they just wanna see some big sixes or something?
 
๐Ÿค” I'm wondering if England's problem is not just about finding a fast bowler like Mark Wood or someone similar but also how to adapt their strategy mid-match when the conditions change ๐ŸŒž๏ธ. Starc has shown that he can read the game really well and adjust his tactics, what if Australia does the same? ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™‚๏ธ And another thing, have England's batsmen thought of trying a new approach like Steve Smith with those black patches under their eyes to try and anticipate where the ball is going to swing? ๐ŸŽฏ Maybe that's the key to giving Starc some problems? ๐Ÿค”
 
Yooo! ๐Ÿค” so the Aussie quickie Mitch Starc is basically a pink ball wizard and he's been getting away with it in those day-night Ashes matches ๐Ÿ’ช but I think its gonna get tricky for England now cuz Starc can read the game like a pro ๐Ÿ”ฎ and adjusts his strategy on the fly that's like super hard to figure out especially when you can't see what kinda seam movement he's got going on ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™‚๏ธ and even top Aussie batsmen had to adapt their style to deal with him, Steve Smith wore those black patches under his eyes lol ๐Ÿ‘€
 
idk why england is stressing so much about starc... he just does his job! ๐Ÿ˜‰ the pink ball is def a factor but it's not like australia is gonna go easy on england just 'cause it's day-night. starc is a top bowler, plain and simple. he's got skills that most others dont. mark wood had 9 wickets in one match, now its england's turn to step up ๐Ÿ™ and show they can compete. maybe england needs to focus on their own strategy rather than trying to outdo starc. just saying... ๐Ÿ˜Š
 
I'm so worried about England's chances! Reminds me of when Australia came to us at Lord's back in '02 and our bowlers just couldn't get it done under the pink lights ๐Ÿคฆโ€โ™‚๏ธ. We always talk about how tough it is to bat with a pink ball, but sometimes I feel like we're not giving enough credit to the Aussie quicks... Mitchell Starc is on another level! His ability to read the game and make those adjustments mid-inning is insane. And have you seen his stats? 92mph plus is just ridiculous. England's gonna need some serious magic from their fast bowlers if they wanna take down Australia this time around ๐Ÿ’ฅ
 
๐Ÿšจ I think England's got a tougher ask than just replicating Starc's performance, they need to outsmart the Aussie master himself ๐Ÿค”. I mean, have you seen Starc's bowling style? He's like a ninja out there, always adjusting his pace and swing mid-inning ๐Ÿ‘€. The English bowlers need to be super sharp and think on their feet if they want to take him down ๐Ÿ’ก. And let's not forget, Australia's got some of the best batters in the world, so it won't be easy ๐Ÿ˜ฌ. I'm loving Mark Wood's confidence though, but I reckon England will need more than just one player to take on Starc and the Aussies ๐Ÿคทโ€โ™‚๏ธ
 
I mean, have you seen those day-night Ashes matches?! ๐Ÿคฏ The pink ball makes everything so unpredictable and Starc is like a master magician with it! He reads the game like nobody's business and can just switch from swinging to wobbling seams in a split second... it's mental! ๐Ÿ˜ฑ England needs to find that same magic if they wanna give Australia a run for their money. And I love how you mentioned Steve Smith had to wear those black patches under his eyes... that shows Starc is always one step ahead and batters gotta be super sharp to keep up with him ๐Ÿค“
 
I think its gonna be tough for england ๐Ÿค”...starcs got this thing down pat and hes always one step ahead ๐Ÿ‘€...the thing i think england needs to do is get their bowlers to match starc's pace and hostility ๐Ÿ’ช...they cant just rely on wood or whoever else to pick up wickets, they need someone who can put the pressure on australia's batters like starc does ๐Ÿ”ฅ...its not just about speed, its about reading the game and making adjustments mid-inning ๐Ÿ“Š...if england can figure that out, i think they might have a chance ๐Ÿ’ก
 
I think it's crazy how much of an advantage the pink ball gives to guys like Starc ๐Ÿคฏ! He's literally mastered it and it's what makes him so hard to face. The fact that England has to figure out a way to counter it now is pretty daunting ๐Ÿ˜ฌ. I mean, we've seen Mark Wood have some great sessions with the pink ball in the past, but it's not going to be easy to replicate that. Australia's got a great team dynamic and Starc is just so smart about how he plays the game ๐Ÿค“. England's gonna need to bring their A-game if they wanna take him down ๐Ÿ’ช
 
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