ADELAIDE: Australian pace spearhead Mitchell Starc has decided his brother’s wedding is more important than a game of cricket, pulling out of the second Twenty20 International against Sri Lanka to witness him tie the knot.

Billy Stanlake or Sean Abbott are likely to replace Starc as Australia target an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-game series in Brisbane on Wednesday.

Cricket Australia reported the Starc move on its website on Monday, saying he had been granted a release as part of an increased focus on family time under head coach Justin Langer.

Regardless of whether Stanlake or Abbott get their chance, vice-captain Pat Cummins told reporters Monday Australia’s effective use of the short ball would continue.

“Bowling short is something we speak about, no doubt, especially at the Gabba or Adelaide Oval, where it’s quite fast and bouncy,” he said. “And all our bowlers are 6 foot four inches or 6’5.”

Australia emphatically won the opening T20 at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday by 134 runs, with David Warner celebrating his birthday with a return to form, clubbing an unbeaten 100, the left-hander’s maiden century in the format.

Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2019