Stoinis credits IPL stint for improved spin game
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One of the highlights of Marcus Stoinis' blitzkrieg during his record-breaking half-century against Sri Lanka was how he took down his unfavourable spin matchups in ruthless fashion. Both Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana were taken to the cleaners in a brutal assault. Stoinis, historically a slow starter and tentative against spin, credited his transformation to his stint in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
"Yeah, definitely the IPL has changed my cricket and helped me evolve," said Stoinis in the post-match press conference on Tuesday (October 25). "And it's not only playing on the wickets, it's having the coaches from all over the world, having players from different countries. I've played for quite a few years in the IPL and quite a few teams, so you come across a range of techniques and mentalities about how to play spin. Yeah, it has helped me improve for sure."
However, on an evening where he set a new record for the fastest T20I fifty by an Australian, Stoinis revealed that he was feeling anything but confident when he walked out to the middle. Ironically, his innings started with a bang, through a brace and then a boundary - both off Chamika Karunaratne.
"I was actually quite nervous, to be honest, so yeah, the intention was just to go put an impact on the game and probably provide a bit of energy for the boys and try and get a spark going."
Stoinis' fireworks turned the game on its head in dramatic fashion, so much so that a potential humdinger ended up being a comfortable win for the Aussies. For a major part of the game, the defending champions seemed lacklustre, especially during the middle overs of the Sri Lanka innings and it was a pattern that continued in the chase as well. Until Glenn Maxwell's cameo and Stoinis' finishing act. The latter denied that his side were still having scars after the big defeat in the tournament opener against New Zealand.
"I don't think we felt flat, to be honest. I think it felt like we bowled pretty well. I felt like we bowled well in the powerplay. There were a few balls up in the air that fell in gaps and that sort of stuff. I think we're pretty happy with how we bowled.
"Yeah, there's definitely things we can tidy up, you tidy up three or four balls in the game, and it could be the difference of 18 runs sort of thing. Yeah, it'll just be little things that we review."
The rampaging nature of Stoinis' knock meant that Australia not only notched up a comfortable win but also managed a boost of sorts to their net run rate. The 33-year-old, though, denied that the onslaught was pre-planned keeping this in mind.
"Not really. I mean, it was just batting and looking at a score, obviously, and then maybe towards the last couple of overs that I faced, I thought should I rein it in or should I keep going, but it's probably just the time; you just keep going. If you hit one and get caught on the boundary, it's part of the game, I guess."
Australia were without the services of Adam Zampa who had tested positive for COVID-19 earlier in the week. Stoinis admitted that the leg-spinner's absence was a blow while also crediting Ashton Agar for being a more-than-handy replacement.
"It's not ideal because I know he (Zampa) would have loved to be out there playing today. Yeah, but that's just where we're at at the moment, I guess. Everyone around the world is going through that, and every team is going to have their process in place to try and keep it as safe as possible.
"It's really hard on Ash because I think his economy rate in international T20 is like six or something like that. I mean, it's just the team balance that sort of keeps him out of the team, and we've got Zamps who does so well for us.
"I think it was an easier option to make sure he gets better and looks after himself when you've got someone like Ash waiting on the wings to take over. He's a gun fielder, and he's there with the bat, as well. So he's a great all-around package for us, and he provides good energy around the team. It's almost just a shame he can't play every game."
Coach Silverwood laments Sri Lanka's injury troubles
While Australia missed a key player pre-game, Sri Lanka too had their share of miseries. Having lost out on Dushmantha Chameera after the UAE game to injury, the Lankans were jolted very early in the run chase when seamer Binura Fernando pulled his hamstring and was ruled out of the remainder of the game. Sri Lanka's head coach Chris Silverwood lamented his side's misfortune with injuries in the pace-bowling department.