With just two matches left to sort out their batting line-up before the T20 World Cup, Marcus Stoinis is fighting an uphill battle to snare a spot in Australia’s crowded middle order.
Stoinis is in a three-way race with Steve Smith and Tim David for the two remaining spots in the batting line-up after Aaron Finch confirmed he would be returning to opening alongside David Warner.
Finch said after Sunday night’s win over England that his experiment at No.4 was over and he would go back to his usual spot at the top with Warner for the last two matches of the series, Australia’s final T20Is before hosting the World Cup kicks off next week.
Mitchell Marsh is all but certain to slot in at No.3 and T20 specialist Glenn Maxwell is another guaranteed starter as he also gives Australia a second spin option after Adam Zampa.
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Matthew Wade will keep and continue his specialised finishing role at No.7 in the batting line-up while the big three of Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc are primed to repeat their efforts in the UAE last year when they returned to the shortest format to propel Australia to their first T20 World Cup trophy.
Stoinis gave his chances a boost with a rapid-fire 35 off 15 which included three sixes and two more boundaries.
(Photo by James Worsfold/Getty Images)
As has been the case for Stoinis for much of his international career, he promised so much but in the end left you feeling like he could have delivered more.
Unlike Smith and David, he has the added string to his bow of being a handy bowler but the value of his medium-pacers is often overstated.
He’s been dogged by a side strain in recent months and after bowling in each of his first 13 T20 matches for Australia, he’s only been called on to roll the arm over in 11 of his past 32 appearances.
Stoinis is actually only two months younger than his fellow 33-year-old in Smith.
When he bludgeoned an unbeaten 146 off 117 deliveries batting at No.7 against New Zealand in just his second ODI in 2017, it looked like Stoinis could be a game-changer for Australia in white-ball cricket.
But sadly he has never lived up to his potential and has spent his international career going in and out of the Australian white-ball sides like Grampa Simpson at the burlesque house.
With rising star Cameron Green set to be a three-format force, Stoinis’ time in the national set-up could be coming to an end sooner rather than later.
In the ODI arena, that ton in Auckland is his only three-figure score and he’s only produced six half-centuries, the most recent in 2019, despite being given plenty of opportunities as injuries and indifferent form have held him back.
His T20 returns are even more erratic – it’s hard when you’re normally coming in at five or six to be consistent but despite being tried at opener and three and four, he’s only topped 40 once in 36 innings although his strike rate of 143.77 is world class.
(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)
Stoinis was playing his first match for a month as he hacked away at Optus Stadium in Perth on Sunday night due to his side strain.
In his previous 10 outings split between ODIs and The Hundred, he had not taken more than one wicket in a game or scored more than 20 (apart from a 37 for the Southern Brave) in a stretch of poor form which must be a concern for Australian selectors.
Green, who only scored one after blitzing it in India recently, was not picked for the World Cup and the Australian camp is adamant he will only be a late inclusion if there’s an injury to the selected squad.
You sure that side strain has healed, Marcus? Cricket Australia has asked for new scans and a second opinion from a Dr Nick Riviera from the Hollywood Upstairs Medical College.
Smith is no sure thing to get the nod ahead of Stoinis based on his strike rate dipping to 97.18 for the 2021 calendar year before returning to 122.93 this year, only slightly below his career mark.
Tim David. (Photo by Matt Roberts/Getty Images)
Australian coach Andrew McDonald is a fan of having a calm hand to steady an innings if a couple of wickets fall early like Smith, who can then be slid back down the order after the power hitters if the top three get away to a flyer.
David, after finally being given a chance in the national side after starring in various T20 leagues around the globe, is much younger than Smith and Stoinis at 26 but is also less experienced in international clashes.
Like most things in T20, he’s hit and miss, as evidenced by his scores of 18, 2, 54, duck, 42 and a duck against India, the Windies and England.
With Wade next in after David, he is a luxury Australia not only can afford but one they must have to compete with the middle-order power hitters that other nations, particularly India and England, will bring to the tournament.
Last year in the UAE, Australia used the same XI in all seven matches except for Ashton Agar coming in for Marsh in the group game versus England. Agar scored 20 and took one of the two wickets as Australia were flogged by eight wickets with eight-plus overs to spare.
With just five matches to qualify for the semi-finals, there is no time to tinker with line-ups in the group stage against New Zealand, England, Afghanistan and the two qualifiers from the first part of the tournament before the Super 12 stage.
Which makes it even more puzzling that Finch has spent three of the warm-up matches batting at four when there is no other option in the selected squad to be Warner’s opening partner and after recent poor form, he needs all the practice he can get before Australia’s first outing against New Zealand at the SCG on October 22.
Likely Australian line-up
1 Aaron Finch (c)
2 David Warner
3 Mitchell Marsh
4 Steve Smith
5 Glenn Maxwell
6 Tim David
7 Matthew Wade
8 Pat Cummins
9 Mitchell Starc
10 Adam Zampa
11 Josh Hazlewood
Other squad members: Marcus Stoinis, Josh Inglis, Ashton Agar, Kane Richardson.
