Dumped Test bowler Mitchell Starc insists he's brushed off Shane Warne's criticism of his "soft" body language, but reckons the spin great has been on his back for years.
Dropped again after a lean second Test against India at the Gabba, young left-armer Starc has vowed to use the shorter forms of the game to force his way back to Test cricket.
He made a mixed start to that campaign in Saturday's BBL Sydney derby clash, taking the key wicket of Jacques Kallis with a venomous in-swinging yorker but also getting smacked around by man-of-the-match Aiden Blizzard to finish with 1-36 off four overs as his Sydney Sixers triumphed to be 3-0 this season.
Asked later about Warne's much-publicised comments, made during television commentary on the second Test, Starc said the pair had not spoken since, though "apparently he called me".
Did he hear what Warne had said?
"I was playing cricket, I wasn't listening," said Starc. "He's getting paid to talk, I'm getting paid to play cricket."
But did he hear about it?
"Yup."
Was he offended by the comments?
"Warnie's been on my back for years so I'm not too worried about it," he said.
Starc admitted his efforts with the ball against India weren't up to scratch as he finished with 0-83 while struggling with the heat in the first innings and 2-27 in the second dig.
"I didn't perform in Brisbane. You don't perform, you don't get picked again," Starc said.
"It's just about playing cricket and for me it's all about consistency and taking wickets whether it be with the white ball in Twenty20 cricket or with the red ball or with the white ball again."
Starc remains optimistic about his chances of earning a recall, even from the BBL.
"It is what it is, but at least I get some game time so I'll make the most of it and I've just got to take my opportunities," he said.
The Sixers' win over the Thunder was their sixth in a row against their city rivals and Starc believed it would give his team an edge when they next meet.
"We keep counting on our side of the bridge, so we'll let them know next time we play them this season," he said.
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