Melbourne: Batting legend Ricky Ponting believes all-rounder Marcus Stoinis is playing ‘five times better’ than what he was a year ago. Ricky Ponting said Stoinis could take up ‘multiple roles’ for Australian cricket, including the job of a finisher. Ponting also said Stoinis could prove more than a handful in the limited over series against India.
Stoinis scored 352 runs and snapped 13 wickets to play a big role in Delhi Capitals reaching the final of IPL-13 in the UAE. He is in Australia’s ODI and T20I squads for the series against India starting Friday. Delhi Capitals was coached by Ponting.
Ponting said it was Alex Carey who had told him about Stoinis’ incredible turnaround during the IPL. “From the moment he turned up at the IPL, having come straight from England, he was keen to show improvements that he’d made. And his first few net sessions, I could just tell then,” Ponting told ‘cricket.Com.Au’.
“I have spent a fair bit of time with him over the past couple of years. What I saw from him at the IPL suggests to me that he’s a five times better player than he was 12 months ago.”
The 31-year-old Stoinis was dropped from Australia’s T20 squad after a disappointing 50-over World Cup last year.
But, he made a successful comeback, riding on his incredible performance for the Melbourne Stars in the Big Bash League. He scored 705 runs in a single season. He also smashed tournament’s highest individual score of 147 not out.
Ponting said Stoinis has proven himself as a finisher but believes he should open the innings.
“I think the future for him either at Delhi or whoever he plays for in T20 cricket will be at the top of the order. I think he can do (the finishing role). I think he’s proven that he can do multiple different roles now,” said Ponting.
“I think the more responsibility he gets in the white-ball team the better he’ll be as well. We’ll see what happens over the next few weeks (against India). If he gets a decent chance at it, I think he’ll impress everyone. He’s thinking about the game has gained in experience and exposure. So he’s very good,” added the former Australian captain.
Ponting said Stoinis looks ‘a lot more positive and aggressive against spin bowling now’ compared to the past. “He’s worked really hard on his play against spin bowling. That’s one of the things that’s slowed him down a little bit (in the past),” pointed out Ponting.
“When he’s had to go out and start against quality spin, he hasn’t had the options to rotate the strike as much as he would like. However, things have changed. The best spinners in the world were trying to tie him down in the IPL, but they couldn’t do it,” he added.