Marcus Stoinis provided balance and consistency to the unit.
Australia employed an interesting strategy during the recently concluded T20I series against the West Indies, which showcased how modern-day T20 Cricket will be played. They had almost all-rounders from top to bottom, most of whom were capable of being flexible and hitting big shots from the first ball. That worked for them, as Australia had options galore in each department and were ruthless with their approach.
While they had several all-rounders in the series, one major missing was Marcus Stoinis, who has been integral to Australia’s white-ball teams in recent years. He has been one of the reasons behind the team’s immense success in ICC’s white-ball tournaments, including the World Cup and T20 World Cup. He provided balance and consistency to the unit.
AUSA-W
144/8
INDA-W
140/8
KNK
171/10
VSS
195/5
Vijayawada Sunshiners beat Kakinada Kings by 24 runs
BVB
141/3
ROR
139/10
Bhimavaram Bulls beat Royals of Rayalaseema by 7 wickets
AMR
–
TBW
–
SVL
–
KNK
–
PD
152/10
NDS
179/8
North Delhi Strikers won by 27 runs
WDL
156/7
EDR
158/8
East Delhi Riders beat West Delhi Lions by 2 runs
SDS
–
NDT
–
NDS
–
WDL
–
CRO
111/4
CYP
134/4
Cyprus beat Croatia by 23 runs
CRO
103/4
CYP
102/8
Croatia beat Cyprus by 6 wickets
CRO
107/4
CYP
110/2
Cyprus won by 8 wickets
ZGW
–
ZAS
–
ZAS
–
RJM
–
ZGW
–
ZGA
–
ZAS
–
RJM
–
ZGW
–
ZGA
–
KENT
238/8
DURH
239/3
Durham beat Kent by 7 wickets
SOM
250/7
LAN
254/8
Lancashire beat Somerset by 2 wickets
MID
256/5
SUSS
255/9
Middlesex beat Sussex by 5 wickets
DER
341/8
NOT
214/10
Derbyshire beat Nottinghamshire by 127 runs
BB
291/8
NOR
229/10
Birmingham Bears won by 62 runs
GLO
182/3
LEI
285/7
ESS
280/10
WOR
340/9
Worcestershire beat Essex by 60 runs
91YC
70/9
BCC
20/0
Bud Cricket Club beat 91 Yards Club by 10 wickets (D/L) method
NAJC
119/10
GUG
121/7
Guwahati Giants beat Nabajyoti Club by 3 wickets
CCC
–
91YC
–
NVR
–
GUG
–
TCC
117/8
SBSCC
–
NCMI
–
PCR
–
CEC-A
–
RTZ
–
KRMPS
–
GUJCC
–
JOR
47/10
PRK
49/5
Perak beat Johor by 5 wickets
MEL
107/8
PENG
111/4
Penang beat Melaka by 6 wickets
SEL
76/1
KLPR
141/1
Selangor beat Kuala Lumpur by 9 wickets (D/L) method
GBM
–
MGD
–
BNB
–
MYW
–
MWW
96/7
HTW
107/10
Hubli Tigers Women beat Mysore Warriors Women by 11 runs
NPB
196/4
EAE
144/10
NPL Bears beat Eavion Eagles by 52 runs
PAJ
173/8
PMW
197/6
Pupkewitz Motors Wildcats beat Paratus Jets by 24 runs
IRE-W
155/4
PAK-W
156/2
Pakistan Women beat Ireland Women by 8 wickets
WI
–
PAK
31/0
SLGY
163/6
SLGR
165/5
SLC Greens won by 5 wickets
SLGR
–
SLBL
–
AUS
178/10
SA
161/9
Australia beat South Africa by 17 runs
SOB
109/1
BIP
106/7
Southern Brave won by 9 wickets
TRR
–
NOS
81/4
MAO
–
LOS
–
SBW-W
139/7
BIP-W
124/10
Southern Brave Women beat Birmingham Phoenix Women by 15 runs
TRW-W
128/8
NOS-W
129/2
Northern Superchargers Women beat Trent Rockets Women by 8 wickets
MOW-W
–
LSW-W
–
SWE
152/7
FRA
153/8
France beat Sweden by 2 wickets
AUST
106/2
NOR
105/10
Austria won by 8 wickets
Marcus Stoinis made his Australia debut on the tour to England in 2015, playing both T20I and ODIs. His superior power-hitting ability and expertise to bowl immaculate lengths with the ball made him a permanent member soon. Since making his ODI debut, Stoinis has been among 18 players from the top ten teams and the only second Australian with more than 1000 runs and 40 wickets.
His impact was higher in T20Is, where he was Australia’s asset and performed the tough job. Overall, he is only the 15th player among the top ten teams to have a double of 1000 runs and 40 wickets in the shortest format, but this doesn’t really show his real value. Among all the players falling in this category, Stoinis’ average difference of 7.67 between batting and bowling is the highest.
The second-highest, Shane Watson, has an average difference of 4.51, a massive gap between Stoinis and him. As a batter, he has 1245 runs at an average of 31.92 and a 148.56 strike rate in 61 innings, including five fifties. As a bowler, he has 45 wickets at 24.24 runs apiece in 48 outings, comprising a four-wicket haul.
Stoinis is naturally a top-order batter, but he settled himself into the middle order brilliantly to help Australia gain balance and power in the later phase of the innings. 88.52% of his T20I innings came while batting at No.5 or below. Then, he also contributed immensely with the ball.
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Marcus Stoinis announced a shock retirement from ODIs days before the 2025 Champions Trophy, which was a major setback for Australia. However, he remained available for selection in the shortest format. But he was ignored for the West Indies T20Is.
He has also been excluded from the upcoming T20I series at home against South Africa. The reason for his exclusion from this series is Stoinis’ deal in The Hundred, which coincides with the South Africa series. While he is a quality player, Australia now have options to replace him in this format.
Several changes have come in Australia’s white-ball sides, and fresh faces have taken over the team. Despite their preference for all-rounders, they ignored Marcus Stoinis. This suggests that the team is looking towards the future and is willing to make big changes.
When Marcus Stoinis announced his ODI retirement, his priorities were clear; he wanted to play more franchise cricket. That is also the reason why he was unavailable for selection in the crucial South Africa series because he had prioritised The Hundred. Hence, the road ahead for him can be arduous.
Australia would want continuity with selection and give preference to players who are available all the time. They also have ample all-round options to work with, most of them young and long-term investments. Hence, the management would want them to give more exposure before the next T20 World Cup and help them settle into the team.
So, they are likely to ignore Stoinis whenever he is available, as they did in the West Indies series. Australia have equally explosive batters in the middle who are strong against pacers and can thwack hard lengths. Then, his bowling job was to bowl slightly shorter lengths in middle overs, but Cameron Green, once fit, can perform that role.
Stoinis, 35, doesn’t have age on his side either, and his recent T20 stocks have reduced, for he didn’t have a great IPL and MLC 2025 as an all-rounder. Hence, Australia are likely to move on from him. He is a quality player, but Stoinis will find it hard to make a place for himself in Australia’s T20I setup now.
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Australia A Women beat India A Women by 4 runs