Melbourne Stars all-rounder Marcus Stoinis crowned Big Bash League’s player of tournament
Marcus Stoinis’ prospects of an international return have received another vote of confidence after he was named BBL player of the tournament. But it’s wasn’t enough for him to win a re-call for this month’s South African tour.
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Out-of-favour all-rounder Marcus Stoinis has sent another reminder to Australian selectors by being recognised as the Big Bash League’s most valuable player.
The Melbourne Stars opener has rebounded from his axing from Australia’s one-day and Twenty20 squads by becoming the second player in BBL history to amass 600 runs in one tournament.
Stoinis has 612 runs in BBL09, 25 less than Hobart’s D’Arcy Short plundered when he set the competition record during last summer’s BBL.
Despite his dominance at the top of the Stars batting line-up, Stoinis has been overlooked for Australia’s tour of South Africa this month.
“There’s obviously a tour to South Africa coming up soon and I guess everyone is going to find out where we sit then,” he said on Tuesday morning.
“There’s going to be some good players missing out.”
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Stoinis received 26 votes to edge out Sydney Sixers Tom Curran (24), Thunder opener Alex Hales (23) and Strikers batsman Jono Wells (22) to be named player of the tournament.
“I guess my role in the one-day side would be in the middle and I’d be bowling some overs,” he said.
“For Twenty20 cricket I’m assuming it’s going to be very similar, but I haven’t had too much feedback as of yet from the selectors.”
The 30-year-old has compiled five fifties and a century.
He returned to bowling in the Stars’ qualifier loss to Sydney Sixers after being restricted by injury for much of the BBL.
Stoinis conceded the heat was on the Stars to deliver in Thursday’s final against Sydney Thunder after a recent history of finals failures.
“It’s been spoken about a lot by the media, but not so much by us,” he said.
“We have got quite a different team every year. Unfortunately it does look like that in the history books, but to the players, it’s got to be another game for us.
“It’s got to be just the same as every other game.”
The player of the tournament is voted on by BBL umpires after each game.