Australia seamer Mitchell Starc claimed a four-wicket haul for New South Wales in the ongoing Sheffield Shield match against Victoria in Sydney, as he gears up for the upcoming Ashes series against England.
Starc struck early, dismissing four of Victoria's top six batsmen, while his Australia teammate Nathan Lyon chipped in with 2-65, removing the other two top-order batsmen.
Josh Hazlewood bowled 18 wicketless overs, conceding 54 runs, whereas Sean Abbott picked up a solitary wicket, as Victoria stumbled to 340-7 at stumps on day one.
"(I've been) working on a few things, getting that rhythm back. Probably my longest layoff injury-free for a long time, so I'm trying to find that rhythm through the ODIs (against India). Just felt like something wasn't quite clicking there, and it felt pretty close today. So, yeah, reasonably happy," Starc said after stumps on Day 1.
"I tend to be someone for whom continuous bowling keeps me in rhythm. It was a quick return to playing...I wasn't going into the ODI series thinking I was cherry ripe," he added.
Australia will take on England in the opening fixtures of the Ashes on November 21 in Perth. Steve Smith will lead the side as Pat Cummins is not in the team due to injury.
The Ashes series in Australia will be an extremely crucial one for England. For England, this will be their chance to win the first away Ashes series since 2011 and their first overall since 2015.