Starc to be Clarke's go-to man in absence of Lee

Melbourne, Feb 12(ANI): Australian paceman Mitchell Starc has assumed the key bowling roles in the team in the absence of Brett Lee who is recovering from a foot injury.

Starc is fulfilling the key jobs of new-ball strike force, powerplay weapon and ice-cold death bowler in the pressure-packed final overs,The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

The roles are expected to provide Starc an opportunity to harness his skills for the World Cup in 2015.

"That will certainly help Mitchell Starc, that's for sure. He'll learn a lot from that. He'll take a lot of confidence going into future games knowing that if he executes his skills he can become a good death bowler. He probably felt a bit of pressure those last two overs he bowled but to be able to come out on top was a really positive sign for him," Clarke said.

Starc, after making 14 invaluable runs with the bat, led Australia on the way to victory by removing Upul Tharanga in a new-ball spell during which he beat the bat on several occasions with his late swing.

Starc's ability to bounce back in the face of adversity impressed Angelo Mathews and prevented the Sri Lankan vice-captain from stealing victory for his country.

'The latter stages the pressure is on - when the bowlers are under pressure they tend to crack but he held his nerve pretty well in the last couple of overs," Mathews said. (ANI)