Marcus Stoinis named BBL Player of the Tournament
Marcus Stoinis has been rewarded for his eye-catching Big Bash League exploits after landing the Player of the Tournament award.
The Melbourne Stars all-rounder edged out Sydney Sixers paceman Tom Curran by two votes, with the winner decided by a ballot among the umpires at the end of the 56 regular season matches.
Stoinis' 26 votes put him three clear of third-placed Alex Hales, who will be in action when Sydney Thunder face the Stars in Thursday's BBL challenger clash. The Sixers await in the final.
"I'm honoured to have been voted as the 2019-20 KFC Big Bash League Player of the Tournament," said Australia international Stoinis.
"I love playing for Melbourne Stars. This team is special to me and I love having the opportunity to run out onto the field with them.
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"We've got a big match against the Sydney Thunder on Thursday night and I hope to see our Team Green fans at the MCG to help get us over the line."
Marcus Stoinis is the #BBL09 of Player of the Tournament!
612 runs
55.64 average
Strike rate of 133.62
High score of 147
#BBL09 pic.twitter.com/AKhaGhE6NG — KFC Big Bash League (@BBL) February 3, 2020
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Stoinis went past 600 runs this season, becoming only the second player to do so in a single campaign.
He made history with his record-breaking knock of 147 not out against the Sixers in January, when he also shared a BBL all-time best 207-run opening stand with Hilton Cartwright.
The Stars finished as runners-up in 2019, losing in the final to Melbourne Renegades.