T20 World Cup: Stoinis breaks the record in a collaboration of extreme differences

Marcus Stoinis’ fastest half-century by an Australian in T20I cricket helped Australia defeat Sri Lanka, and no one in the stadium was happier than the man on the other end.

THE GOOD: Stunning Stoinis – 59* from 18 balls

“Ronnie (coach Andrew McDonald) said if I feel comfortable then have a go at the spinners,” Stoinis said as he collected his ICC Player of the Match award. And he certainly did have a go at the spinners.

The all-rounder scored six sixes in his undefeated 59* from only 18 balls, which is one more than Glenn Maxwell’s previous Australian record for the fastest 50. He also achieved his half-century in just 17 of those deliveries.

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Only four players from Test-playing nations have achieved faster T20I fifties: Moeen Ali of England, Shai Hope of the West Indies, Colin Munro of New Zealand, and Yuvraj Singh of India.

Furthermore, Stoinis now shares second place with another player for the fastest fifty-run scores at a Men’s T20 World Cup thanks to this power-hitting outburst. The Australian and Stephan Myburgh of the Netherlands, who made his 17-ball performance against Ireland in 2014, are tied. Yuvraj of India still retains the record for the fastest T20 World Cup fifty and fastest T20 fifty, reaching his mark against England in 2007 after just 12 deliveries.

Wanindu Hasaranga’s 15th over saw Stoinis smash three consecutive boundaries, scoring 18 of the subsequent 19 runs.

The 16th over and Maheesh Theekshana’s off-spin helped him add 19 more runs to his total, and Stoinis’ third six of the over helped him reach 50 in style.

“Once I got in the plan was to keep going,” Stoinis added. “Honestly I was a bit nervous today, playing at home with a lot of family in.

“We wrapped this game up and we look forward to playing the English at MCG.”

With Glenn Maxwell hitting 23 from 12 and Tim David and Matthew Wade not even being used in the chase, middle-order power is not a concern for the tournament hosts as they pursue a spot in the semi-finals. Stoinis is also in such good form. But not all of the top-order can be compared in this way…

THE NOT-SO-GOOD: Frustrated Finch – 31* from 42 balls

Aaron Finch screamed “Oh my god” into the Perth night sky as he plinked yet another error into the infield for a single, the crowd groaning in sympathy and disgust.

Although the Australian opener, who finished on 31* from 42 deliveries, was still in the middle to score the winning runs in the chase of 158/3, the captain had a difficult evening.

Despite making repeated attempts to swing himself off his feet and only managing to hit one boundary in his entire innings, Finch only occasionally made good contact.

“My innings was unusual, it was poor, I just couldn’t hit the ball,” Finch acknowledged after the match. “We knew the first four or five overs with the ball (were key), especially with Kumara nipping it around.

“It was seaming a long way there – so if we could get through that none or one down then it was going to be really important to set up the back end of the innings.

“It would have been nice if I could have kicked on and made that chase a bit easier.”

A little strain was put on the middle order by the Australian captain’s strike rate of 73.80, especially when Mitchell Marsh (18 from 17) and David Warner (11 from 10) both failed to ignite the touchpaper.

However, talks over Finch’s place at the head of the pecking order will have to wait until tomorrow when Maxwell and Stoinis switched up their approach to quickly make up ground and effortlessly pursue the target.

Stoinis lights up Perth as Australia win by seven wickets

In Australia’s Super12 match against Sri Lanka in Perth on Tuesday, Marcus Stoinis played a fantastic knock of an unbeaten 59 off 18 deliveries to help Australia chase down 158.

Asalanka and Karunaratne lift Sri Lanka

The majority of Sri Lanka’s innings was kept quiet by the Australians’ disciplined bowling, but Asalanka and Karunaratne contributed 37 runs in the last 15 deliveries to assist Sri Lanka reach a respectable total of 157/6.

Asalanka finished with an undefeated 38 from 25 pitches, and Karunaratne, who came in to bat at number 8, added a good 14 from seven pitches.

Although they both got off to strong starts, Pathum Nissanka (40) and Dhananjaya de Silve were unable to pick up the pace and finished their innings with unimpressive strike rates of 88.89 and 113.04, respectively.

Sri Lankan bowlers keep Australian batters leashed

After Asalanka and Karunaratne helped Sri Lanka reach a manageable score, the bowlers took over. They completely restrained the Australian hitters while the home team battled to put up quick runs. In the opening overs, the spinners bowled superbly, and Maheesh Theekshana delivered Sri Lanka their first wicket by dismissing David Warner for just 11 runs. After that, Australia didn’t lose a tonne of wickets, but captain Aaron Finch and Mitchell Marsh struggled mightily to read the Lankan spinners.

Maxwell and Stoinis take charge

It appeared like the game would end in a draw, but Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis destroyed the Sri Lankan spinners. Maxwell started the carnage with a 12-ball 23, and Stoinis quickly followed with a massive display of fireworks as he smashed his way to an undefeated 59 from just 18 balls, an innings that featured four fours and six enormous sixes. With seven wickets and 21 deliveries remaining, their attack enabled Australia to successfully chase down the target, thus enhancing their NRR.

Marsh looking squarely at Sri Lanka to continue T20 World Cup defence

Mitch Marsh insists that the team is just focused on their encounter against Sri Lanka in Perth, despite suffering a loss in their opening match of their ICC Men’s T20 World Cup defence.

The talented all-rounder thinks confidence in the Australian camp is high despite the false start following a historic 89-run loss to Trans-Tasman foes New Zealand.

“It was, obviously, a disappointing start. A massive build-up for us as a team, and I think it just goes to show in this World Cup and in cricket in general, if you are slightly off, they (opponents) jump us at the start and we’re on a back foot from there on in,” Marsh began when he fronted the media in the pre-match press conference at Perth Stadium ahead of their now do-or-die meeting.

“I think if you look down the personnel of our group confidence is not something that all the boys are shy of. So I think it’s just really important to stick together.

In order to advance to the semifinals of their own competition, Australia would likely need four straight victories, drawing comparisons to their 1999 (ODI) Cricket World Cup campaign, when Steve Waugh’s team won seven straight games en route to winning the tournament on the Lord’s balcony.

Marsh is aware of how challenging it will be to defeat the reigning Asia Cup champions, but he is optimistic that his team’s familiarity with Perth Stadium’s springy playing surface will help them.

“I think what’s really important for us, and we’ve spoken about it, is not looking too far ahead. We have Sri Lanka. That’s all that matters for us,” he said.

 

“We know that our best is up there with the best, so making sure we bring that tomorrow night, bring plenty of energy, and hopefully put on a good show for the Perth crowd.

“Hopefully we can bounce back against Sri Lanka. They’re a good side. We know these conditions very well. The stadium should suit us more than them, so hopefully we can bounce back and get the World Cup underway.”

Marsh was not called on to bowl in Sydney on Sunday in their defeat, though is fit to take on the responsibility should he be required throughout the event.

“I’ve offered the bowl the first over, but I keep getting shut down,” Marsh joked.

“I’m feeling great. I’m back bowling this game, and available to bowl.

“I love preparing as an all-rounder and making sure I’m in the game the whole time, but I’m feeling great, and hopefully I can contribute a few big scores at the top and maybe chip in with a few wickets.”

Even though Marsh won the 2021 final and has a strong record over the past 18 months while wearing the Australian flag, his inclusion in the starting lineup is far from assured.

When asked about Cameron Green’s selection for the T20 World Cup team following a strong start to his T20I career, Marsh again conceded in a lighthearted manner that it might not be in Green’s best interest.

“We’ve had words about that (run of form). I told him to calm down a bit and give me another few weeks and then it’s all his,” Marsh said.

“But, look, I think any time you have someone like him on the sidelines, it’s good, it’s great. It creates pressure within the group. We know that throughout this tournament things may happen, injuries with so much travel, games back-to-back, so he will be ready for his opportunity if it comes, but for now I think we have the right XI.”

When asked about the make-up of the side, Marsh expects no panic from coaches and selectors.

“I think to my knowledge we’ll be playing the same XI hopefully and stay the course,” Marsh added.

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