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In Colombo and Rio, Starc brothers taste bittersweet success

Mitchell Starc took the best bowling figures by a visiting seamer in Galle Associated Press

Mitchell Starc, when on song, is no stranger to getting a batsman jumping. His younger brother Brandon, by contrast, prefers to do the jumping himself. Over the past few days, the Starc brothers have been plying their respective trades in sporting events half a world away from each other.

In Colombo, Mitchell took his 24th wicket of the series on Tuesday to move past Richard Hadlee in bagging the highest wicket tally for an overseas pacer in a three-Test series in Asia. His team, however, were on the receiving end of a series whitewash.

In Rio de Janeiro, Brandon qualified for the final of the high jump event at the Olympics. That final, though, proved to be too high a bar, at least for now. Brandon finished last among the 15 finalists.

All the same, Mitchell, who had to wake up at 5.30am to watch the event, was full of praise and encouragement for his 22-year-old sibling. "Olympic final is a huge effort, young fella," tweeted the older brother. "Chin up, very proud...something not everyone can say they have been in."