New Delhi (Nilesh Tiwari): The Australian side faces a bigger crisis as Marcus Stoinis decided to retire from the ODIs. They were already staring at three withdrawals by Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Marsh for the ICC Champions Trophy. Now, they must make at least four changes from the list of probables.
Marcus Stoinis is an all-rounder from Australia who will retire from ODI. Therefore, he would not participate in the ICC Champions Trophy. He will remain available for Australia in the format of T20 International cricket. According to the statement from Cricket Australia, a report states that the all-rounder desires to focus more on the game’s shortest version.
The scenario is already challenging for Australia in ODIs. Things do not get any better when Stoinis pull out before the ICC Champions Trophy.
The side would make at least four changes in its preliminary roster for the ICC event as all-rounder Mitchell Marsh, fast bowler Josh Hazlewood, and skipper Pat Cummins have ruled themselves out of the squad.
While Cummins is away with an ankle complaint that troubled him in the last Border Gavaskar Trophy Test series against India, Marsh hasn’t recovered fully from a back complaint. Hazlewood has a hip complaint that follows a history of calf and hip injuries.
“Playing ODI cricket for Australia has been an incredible journey, and I’m grateful for every moment I’ve had in the green and gold. Representing my country at the highest level is something I’ll always cherish,” Stonis was quoted as saying.
“This wasn’t an easy decision, but I feel this is the appropriate time in my life to look to move away from ODIs and focus all my energy and time on what will be the next chapter of my career,” he said adding that he was glad to have a great rapport with Ron.
“Stoin has been such an integral part of our ODI setup for the last ten years. Not only is he an irreplaceable cricketer, but such an incredible bloke to have in the squad as well. He is one of those natural leaders, an extremely popular player, and a great human being. He should be congratulated on his career in ODI cricket and all his achievements,” Australian men’s coach Andrew McDonald said.
