Australia back Marcus Stoinis to become finisher like MS Dhoni
Australian fast bowler and vice-captain Pat Cummins, on Saturday, indicated that the team will persist with Marcus Stoinis in the limited-overs set-up. He statement comes after Australia lost a final-ball thriller to England from a winning position. Speaking on the same, Cummins asserted the team would like Stoinis to evolve as an astute finisher like former Indian captain MS Dhoni. Here is more.
Cummins talked about the Australian middle order. "You could argue that middle-order role is one of the hardest in any cricket team. That's what we've identified," Cummins told Sydney Morning Herald. "Someone like MS Dhoni, he was one of the best in the world. You saw during this week's practice games we gave a lot of guys a go in that."
"We know it's not going to happen overnight. That's been a common theme selectors and Finch have spoken about, we'll identify roles and give them a long run in that. I think we've got the right players, it's about getting games into everyone," he added.
Cummins was at the other end as Stoinis was unable to get Australia home against England. Even though Stoinis enjoyed success in the 2019-20 Big Bash League atop, the Australian selectors consider him for the middle order role. Notwithstanding, Australia already have an experienced opening pair in David Warner and Aaron Finch. In this case, Stoinis might have to play down the order.
Stoinis has made occasional appearances for Australia since the 2019 World Cup. He was overlooked for Australia's limited-overs tour of South Africa even after a successful BBL season. Notably, he registered a record 705 runs from 17 matches at a phenomenal average of 54.23 in the tournament. However, an inconsistent run also cost him his central contract later on.
The Australian all-rounder has finally been backed by the team management, at least for the T20 Internationals. In the first T20I against England, Stoinis clearly looked looked rusty as he managed an 18-ball 23*. While a number of former Australian cricketers believe Stoinis is tailor-made for the middle order, numbers state otherwise. He has recorded thirteen of fourteen 50+ (T20) scores as an opener.
In the first T20I, the Australian openers launched a perfect start while chasing 163, however, the middle order faltered. They allowed England to get on top in the last five overs before losing the match by two runs. Despite cruising at 124/1, the middle order batsmen failed to finish the match. Nevertheless, Australia need to win the second T20I to keep the series alive.
