Dec 22 (Reuters) - The wealth of experience in Australia's ranks helped them remain calm in a difficult lead-up to the Ashes, fast bowler Mitchell Starc said after they defeated England on Sunday to win the series with two matches to spare.
Australia wrapped up an 82-run win on day five of the third test in Adelaide to take an unassailable 3-0 lead in the series and retain the urn, putting an end to the criticism of the team's age profile that dominated the pre-Ashes discussion.
Starc said it was Australia's know-how that proved crucial when injuries to captain Pat Cummins and paceman Josh Hazlewood left them in a precarious position ahead of the first test in Perth.
"(Injuries) certainly didn't change the way that the group approached things heading into Perth. A lot was made about how old the group is and how experienced they are," he told reporters.
"Perhaps that's played into our hands, with having been through some good times, and some not so good times over the course of our careers together. Things have never gotten too high or low. If we haven't had a good day, it's pretty easy to move on from and learn from.
"For guys that have come in, less experienced or younger, I think that the freedom to express themselves as players but also learn from that experience has been beneficial in the way we've played our cricket."
Starc led Australia's bowling attack in the absence of Cummins and Hazlewood, bowling 95.5 overs and taking a series-leading 22 wickets across the first three matches.
The 35-year-old said his decision to retire from Twenty20 internationals and focus on test cricket had allowed him to perform at his best, adding: "I've made decisions with my body in mind, test cricket has always been the priority...
"It's all very individual, and I've had some good people around me in strength and conditioning trainers and the sports science guys. I've got them to thank a lot for that and it's been a lot of time that I've put into my body myself.
"I'm glad that it's going the way it is at the moment. It's probably not always going to be that way, so just enjoying it at the moment."
The fourth test of the series begins on December 26 in Melbourne.
(Reporting by Aadi Nair in Nashik, India; Editing by Stephen Coates)
