Australian fast bowler Mitchell Starc is taking legal action to get $1.53 million of his Indian Premier League contract paid out after he was injured in last year's ill-fated Test series against South Africa.
However, Starc failed to bowl a delivery during the tournament when he broke down with injury in the preceding series against South Africa, which was marred by the ball-tampering plot that led to bans for Steven Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft.To cap off a tour of woe for the Australians, Starc suffered a calf complaint in the second Test in Port Elizabeth before succumbing to a fracture of his right tibial bone in the third Test in Cape Town.
According to court documents, Starc took out a policy that would pay him a $1.53 million benefit if he missed the IPL season through injury. Starc, represented by Mills Oakley lawyers, is suing a syndicate of Lloyd's of London, the long-running insurance market where coverage can be bought for unique circumstances that traditional insurers don't insure against.
"Ultimately, the injury resulted in the plaintiff missing the final Test match of the tour and him being listed by the Australian Cricketers Association and Cricket Australia as injured by reason of tibial bone stress. The injury that the plaintiff suffered was a grade three tibial injury which involved a fracture in his right tibial bone."