"Makes complete sense" - Marcus Stoinis on being dropped from Australia's ODI squad
Marcus Stoinis has taken his snub from Australia's squad for the ODIs against West Indies on the chin. The all-rounder said his exclusion and Aaron Hardie's entry "makes complete sense" and that he doesn't "own" a position in the team.
Stoinis was dropped from Australia's playing XI midway through the 2023 World Cup after failing to make an impact. The slump continued to the Big Bash League (BBL) as well.
Cricket Australia (CA) chief of selectors George Bailey while announcing the squad said he wanted to strike a balance between experience and give some new guys a go in preparation for the Champions Trophy in 2025, which is the next big ODI event.
"I had a few conversations with Andrew McDonald over the last sort of four to six months," he said. "Spoke to George as well. In terms of selections, in terms of the fact that Hardie's coming in, I think that's brilliant. I think it makes complete sense after a World Cup. There needs to be a balance between keeping a core, and bringing new guys in. The next tournament that they're looking forward to is the Champions Trophy, which is 18 months away."
"I think that makes complete sense after a World Cup - there needs to be a balance between keeping a core and bringing new guys in. The next tournament they are looking forward to is the Champions Trophy, which is 18 months away. I've got no intention of retiring from international cricket or anything like that, but I think it makes complete sense. I don't own any position in any sort of team," Bailey added.
Hardie, 25, plays a similar role in a T20 side as Stoinis - a versatile big-hitter who can bowl some handy medium pace.
As of Thursday, he's the third-highest run-scorer in the BBL with 287 runs from eight innings at a strike rate of 131.
Stoinis to play SA20 soon after the BBL
The all-rounder also confirmed that after completing the BBL season with the Melbourne Stars, he'd go to South Africa to participate in the second half of the SA20 tournament.
Stoinis will play for Durban's Super Giants, the sister team of his IPL franchise Lucknow Super Giants.