Marcus Stoinis scored a half-century and took three wickets as 2021 champion Australia opened with a 39-run win against Oman.
Cricket Australia did not give Stoinis a central contract despite him being one of the top all-rounders in white-ball cricket. He has responded with both bat and ball.
Australia posted 164-5 and then restricted Oman to 125-9 at Barbados in its tournament opener, but it wasn’t a straightforward win.
The Australians were in a spot of bother when Mehran Khan dismissed skipper Mitchell Marsh for 14 and Glenn Maxwell for a golden duck on consecutive balls to make the total 50-3 in the ninth over.
Stoinis took a single off the hat-trick ball and then set about accelerating Australia’s run rate in a 102-run stand with opener David Warner.
Stoinis had a reprieve in the 15th over when a fielder caught him in the deep but fell back over the boundary, giving the batter six runs. It was the first of four sixes in that over that cost Mehran 26 runs.
Warner became Australia’s highest scorer in T20 internationals before he was out for 56 off 51 balls. Stoinis finished unbeaten on 67 off 36.
“Maybe a few cobwebs for us, but we’re better for the run,” Stoinis said. “We got the win, some boys spent some time in the middle and everyone got a bowl.”
Left-arm paceman Mitchell Starc (2-20) struck in the first over and the Australian bowlers steadily reduced the threat from Oman with regular wickets. Stoinis returned 3-19 to complete a player-of-the-match performance.
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