On Australia’s last ODI tour of India a standout series performance vaulted George Bailey into the 2013 Ashes series despite his poor first-class form. Could that be an omen for man-of-the-moment Marcus Stoinis?
Stoinis has been a revelation in ODIs this year, averaging 86 with the bat and regularly playing vital innings in the middle order in the wake of batting collapses. The 28-year-old all-rounder was among Australia’s best three players in this just-completed ODI series in India – his first in Asia.
Four years ago, Bailey was Australia’s shining light in India, making 475 runs at 96, an effort which earned him an unexpected Ashes berth just weeks later.
It was unexpected because Bailey was coming off a horrendous Shield campaign in which he averaged just 18 with the bat. But Bailey’s dominance in India, combined with good efforts in the Shield campaigns prior to that poor season, was enough to sway the selectors.
Stoinis is in a similar position as he too is fresh from a woeful Shield season in which he averaged only 18 with the bat. There is another parallel with Bailey in that Stoinis also had several seasons of good performances prior to the bad season – Stoinis made nearly 1800 runs at 44 across the previous three Shield campaigns.
To head off those Roarers itching for an argument, I’m not advocating Stoinis play in the Ashes, rather predicting that he could well be a bolter based on the past choices of Australia’s selection panel.
There are several factors working in Stoinis’ advantage. Firstly, the Australian selectors like to have a fifth bowling option at number six in the Test team and will be especially keen on this because of England’s very deep batting line-up. That all but rules out the claims to the number six spot of specialist batsmen such as Shaun Marsh, Joe Burns or Kurtis Patterson.
Secondly, on hard home pitches the selectors prefer for that all-rounder to bowl pace not spin, which greatly weakens the appeal of incumbent number six Glenn Maxwell and rising ODI star Travis Head.
Thirdly, the only other likely Test candidates who are seam bowling all-rounders – Mitch Marsh and Hilton Cartwright – would probably have significant drawbacks in the eyes of the selectors.
Fresh back from injury, Marsh is currently playing as a batsman for WA and is not expected to start bowling again until the Big Bash League, which starts nearly a month after the first Ashes Test.
Cartwright, meanwhile, is in the same boat as Maxwell in that his bowling appears not to have the confidence of captain Steve Smith. Smith did not offer Cartwright a single over in his two ODIs and gave him just nine overs across his two Tests.
The 25-year-old from WA is not really an all-rounder – he is a quality top-order batsman who also happens to roll his arm over.
So, if Australia want a batting all-rounder who bowls pace well, Stoinis is the most obvious candidate. The fourth factor that plays into Stoinis’ hands is that there will be three rounds of the Sheffield Shield before Australia are expected to announce their Ashes squad.
(AAP Image/SNPA, Ross Setford)
This gives him enough time to erase the selector’s memories of his poor 2016-17 Shield campaign.
Should Stoinis come out and dominate with the blade, while the likes of Maxwell and Cartwright underwhelm, don’t be surprised to see him leapfrog that pair into the Ashes line-up.
Putting aside Stoinis’s Test prospects, there is no doubt he has quickly become a fixture of Australia’s ODI team. Very few players have come into the Australian ODI side and immediately looked as comfortable as Stoinis. In his eight ODI innings, six times he has batted well.
On four occasions he has arrived at the crease with Australia in a mess and guided them away from trouble.
Two other times Stoinis has played a nice unbeaten cameo in the death overs. Only twice in eight knocks has he failed. Stoinis has proved himself to be exactly the kind of versatile middle order ODI batsman Australia desperately need, someone equally capable of putting out fires or setting the pitch ablaze.
Yesterday it was the latter which was required of him after Australia lost 3-18. Consolidation was needed and that was just what Stoinis provided as he compiled a patient knock of 46 from 63 deliveries on a slow, dry pitch perfectly suited to India’s fine spinners.
Stoinis has swiftly become a key member of Australia’s batting line-up because of its propensity for middle order collapses. Australia lost 6-63 in the second match of this series, 5-51 in the third ODI, 3-5 in the fourth match and then 3-18 yesterday.
This has exposed Australia’s over-reliance on Smith to play the anchor role in ODIs. With Smith struggling (142 runs at 28 this series), Australia have looked rudderless at times.
Their total of 9-242 batting first yesterday was at least 50 to 60 runs short of a competitive total against an Indian side which is brilliant at chasing. India cruised to a 4-1 series victory, continuing Australia’s run of poor ODI efforts away from home.
Realistically, though, this tour quickly will be forgotten as Australia turn their attention to the Ashes, a series Stoinis is suddenly an outside chance of playing in.
Joe Bell
Roar Rookie
How exciting is Wildermuth! Like the look of him and the other W down south. Wildermuth and Weatherald seem a very talented pair
Don Freo
Guest
The Ashes batsmen will rise in these first 3 Shield games. I'd say Handscomb is safe out of the newer middle order. Cartwright, Stoinis, Khawaja, Head and Maxwell will not necessarily be ahead of Patterson, Bancroft, Maddinson, S Marsh, Lehmann, Ferguson, Heazlett, Labuchagne or Turner by the time those 3 games have elapsed. What if M Marsh gets 3 tons despite not bowling? How about Jack Wildermuth getting 12 wickets and 250 runs in 3 games? There is much to play out.
Tom Simon
Roar Pro
I thought Maxwell's best chance of playing in the 1st test was if Australia played 4 quicks, and wanted the 5th bowler as a spinning option. Now with Pattinson out, that guarantees Lyon playing in Brisbane, and the all-rounder's spot at No. 6 comes down to either Stoinis or Cartwright, as this provides 4 seam options plus Lyon. Maxwell would have to have a huge start to the Shield season to walk out there in Brisbane. Reckon Cartwright will get the spot over Stoinis, but competition for spots generates a bit of interest in the Shield again!
Don Freo
Guest
On the basis of all those centuries by the others, it is clear that Watto was way more consistent, having a better average despite less centuries. Fancy being an English fan relying on Botham, Flintoff or Stokes to get them out of trouble only to see another score under 20. What about Geoff Millar or Adam Holioake...more #6 gems!
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Guest
Yeah - well I'd argue that Watson doesn't deserve to be held in the same company as most in the list you've provided given he only took 75 wickets in 60 tests and scored 4 hundreds. You just can't compare him with all rounders such as Botham with 380 wickets and 14 centuries, Dev with 430 and 8 centuries and Flintoff with 226 wickets and 5 centuries. I won't bother responding on Derek Pringle and Stokes has barely started his career but I bet he ends up with better performances at the end of his career than Watson with both bat and ball. Stokes already has 6 hundreds from 40 tests and 95 wickets.
Don Freo
Guest
"Our standards must have really slipped if we accept a modest average of 35 to be good enough to warrant a player holding down the number 6 spot." - These are your words. #6 or higher; Botham, Flintoff, Pringle (tee hee), Kapil, Stokes...Tony Greig...all worse. That's problem with cliched criticism, divorced from thought.
Rellum
Roar Guru
Cam White has shown he still got quality today. Patto unfortunately shown his body may never be up to Test cricket with the announcement he will miss he Ashes.
Geoff from Bruce Stadium
Guest
And whereabouts did the blokes in this list appear in the batting order Don? Most of them would have come in at number 8 I suspect apart from Ben Stokes. They were bowlers who batted a bit. Watson was picked for his batting but he could bowl a few overs to tie up an end. But ultimately he should have survived or perished on his batting performances and eventually he perished. The same with Mitch Marsh. He was picked for his batting and to bowl a bit a la Watson. M Marsh ultimately failed because his batting was inadequate at test level. I actually rate his bowling but you can't pick a bloke who averages 20 with the bat and bowls half a dozen overs. He simply didn't contribute enough to warrant his selection. I struiggle with the idea that Mitch Marsh will ever get picked as a front line bowler above all the others who are vying for a spot. The whole purpose of this article was to discuss whether Stoinis could be a bolter for the number 6 batting spot and Mitch Marsh simply isn't a contender for this spot at the moment. But I concede if WA bats Mitch up the order in the top 6 and he churns out a number of big scores at shield level then he has to come under consideration.
Joe Bell
Roar Rookie
He just scored a really good 70 odd in the JLT, hes got a savage pull shot
Don Freo
Guest
6 first class 100s already, one for Victoria, 5 for WA. These West Aussies! Harris is another in a great production line. I'm waiting for WA to secede over the GST. Then we can have some decent Test series against Australia.
Joe Bell
Roar Rookie
Also really like the look of Marcus Harris down in Vic. Think hes 25 or so too. Doesn't have a great FC average but really impressed me last year. If he has another strong season he should definitely be in the conversation too I reckon
Ronan O'Connell
Expert
Matt as a WA fan I'm really impressed with Ashton Turner, I think he's an extremely gifted batsman and an underrated spinner (he actually played u/19 cricket for Australia as a bowling all-rounder). A lot of fans are quite negative about Australia's Test batting stocks but I think they're better than they've been in years, with the likes of Cartwright (25yo), Burns (28), Patterson (24), Lehmann (25), Bancroft (24), Turner (24) and Head (23) waiting in the wings. I think, as far as the selectors are concerned, Turner may well be behind the other six guys I listed there in the Test pecking order, but a few eye-catching tons can change that quickly, as we've seen time and again.
Eddie Otto
Roar Guru
Ronan your exactly right - Stoinis is a big chance of playing in that number 6 role in the Ashes if Maxwell continues to falter. The Selectors have shown their hand over the past couple of years picking all rounders in that number 6 positions. I'm a little bit old school I don't mind simply picking the best batsman at Number 6 however with a hot Australian summer and injury prone picks he could really come into the mix.
Matth
Guest
Is Ashton Turner a future chance? Had a great season with the bat and is a genuinely good spinner. The other left field is Ashton Agar. I think this requires a keeper who could bat at 6 though and our keeping stocks have never been lower.
Matth
Guest
It’s funny how much better Watto looks now. He should send Mitch Marsh a nice fruit basket.
Matth
Guest
Brilliant effort to add Pringle in there.
Don Freo
Guest
Whoops!...Duh!!
Don Freo
Guest
Oh...and Flintoff - 31 batting average.
Don Freo
Guest
Apart from the fact they keep performing. By the way, I don't think either should be in the Test side...at the moment. Shaun must be in the ODI side.
Ben Brown
Guest
Don Freo are you actually off your head? Both the Marsh brothers are proven spuds. Anyone with a even half a brain can see that.