"It hurt a lot": Marcus Stoinis recalls omission from Australia's playing XI for World Cup 2023 final
Jun 19, 2024
New Delhi [India], June 19 : Australia all-rounder Marcus Stoinis admitted that missing out on the ODI World Cup final last year against India "hurt" him a lot.
Stoinis has been a standout performer for the Baggy Greens in the ongoing T20 World Cup. He has had a straight hand in Australia's four wins in the group stage. With 156 runs, he is the tournament's third-highest leading run-scorer and has six wickets under his belt as well.
Even in the 50-over World Cup, Stoinis was an instrumental figure for Australia, which saw them lift a record-extending sixth title.
However, he was left out of Australia's playing XI for the semi-final and the final. Australian selectors backed Marnus Labuschagne over Stoinis to bolster their middle order by providing an anchor to it.
"Obviously, it was between me and Marnus, depending on the type of wicket that was going to be produced. To be honest, it hurt a lot," Stoinis told cricket.com.au's Unplayable Podcast ahead of Australia's Super Eight match against Bangladesh.
Stoinis' disappointment went away due to the respect he has for Australian coaching staff Andrew McDonald and assistant coaches Michael Di Venuto and Dan Vettori.
"My relationship with 'Ron' being so strong - I've known him for a long time, and he's been so good to me - but it was easier coming from him," the 34-year-old said about McDonald.
"He's always super honest with me. I'm always super honest with him. We can have adult conversations, almost like a family, where you have those strong conversations and move on. I reckon guys like Ron, 'Diva' (Di Venuto) and Dan Vettori don't get spoken enough about. We are very lucky at the moment with the coaching staff that we've got with this group. I couldn't think of a better group to lead the next generation of this team," he added.
Stoinis will be in the mix for Australia's Super 8 clash against Bangladesh on Friday at Sir Vivian Richards Stadium, Antigua and Barbuda, in the ongoing T20 World Cup.
