There are three T20 leagues going on right now. The Big Bash in Australia, the ILT20 in the UAE and the SA20 in South Africa. Players from across the world are participating in these competitions and putting on a show for the spectators.
Australia cricketer Marcus Stoinis, after finishing his campaign with Melbourne Stars in the BBL, took the next flight to Dubai and joined the Sharjah Warriors for the ongoing ILT20. Hectic travel but Stoinis is excited to participate in the league and put his best foot forward in remaining fixtures for his new team.
In an exclusive conversation with News18 Cricketnext, the all-rounder talks about the T20 game, leagues around the world, the fearlessness in the younger players, the upcoming stint in India and more. Excerpts:
How much do you think cricket overall has changed with so much T20 being played around the world?
Yeah it’s definitely adapting. It’s something which started out probably as a bit of hit and giggle when T20 first started. Now, it’s one of the biggest tournament and competition round the world. Whether it’s ILT20, the Big Bash or the IPL or The Hundred. It has taken players all over the world.
As I said, it was something which started as hit and giggle and is now one of the most important parts of our game. Whether it’s bringing kids to the game and obviously the financial side as well. So with that come a lot of different skills. We have seen the amount of slower balls there are now, then we have seen some of the shots that are coming out.
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Someone who comes to mind is a player like Surya Kumar Yadav who can play absolutely everything and is a special player who has been almost unearthed due to T20 cricket. So the scores are getting bigger, the ball is going further, the slower balls are getting better. So it’s a fantastic time to be in the game.
Are players becoming more fearless now because of the T20s?
I don’t know whether the fearlessness is coming easier because of T20s or whether it’s because they are exposed to it early in their career. The pressure you feel in these domestic T20 competitions as big as you do in international cricket.
I mean barring a World Cup and World Cup final. The crowd’s enormous, many people are watching on TV, expectations from yourself and your fans are right up there too. You learn pretty quickly that you need to be fearless and you need to take those risks and back yourself. No one ever masters it but players of this generation are probably exposed to it earlier which is a great thing.
With so much T20 cricket around, is it going to become increasingly difficult to players to play all three formats now?
Yeah I think. It’s going to be hard physically and mentally. The schedules are going to overlap. The scheduling too is going to make that impossible I think. Hats off to the players who are playing three formats at the moment. It’s a great commitment to the game but it is very hard and I see that changing.
Personally, what are you looking forward to in the next couple of years? Important two years with back to back World Cups.
It’s nice to have those things on the horizon to look forward to. I am looking forward to the ODI World Cup this year in India. I can’t wait to play in the conditions, the crowd, the pressure. It’s going to be amazing, and tough. And next year there is going to be the T20 World Cup in West Indies and the US. It’s a great opportunity and I am glad the game is heading towards the US. It’s going to be exciting to see how that turns out. Those are the two big milestones I am looking forward to in the next couple of years and then it’s just exciting to see where cricket is going at the moment and the opportunities that are there to play around the world in these great competitions. From there, as they say, world is your oyster.
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Lot of cricket in India this year for you personally too. Is the stomach ready for vada pav and butter chicken?
I am ready (laughs). My stomach is fool proof now after visiting there probably thirty times in my life now. There will be a long stint in India this year. But it’s such competitive cricket, the fans there are so unbelievable. My stomach is much stronger than it was when a 22-year-old Marcus Stoinis was going there. I am a lot stronger than I was back then.
And the Border Gavaskar Trophy. Two quality sides in testing conditions. Expecting close fought encounters?
Of course it will be close fought. I can’t wait to watch it. I love watching Test cricket in India and the sub-continent. I am really excited to see how our Australian boys go out there. We have played so well for a while now, and especially this summer. I am looking forward to see the boys play in testing conditions against such a great side. I really hope there are turning wickets and I can’t wait to watch it.
Quick flight to UAE after wrapping up the Big Bash. Must have been hectic?
Yeah. Unfortunately, we didn’t enter the final of the Big Bash. Now, like you said, quickly on to the next thing. Jump on the plane next morning at 6:30 AM, landed here in Dubai, met the new teammates, got the new clothes as you can see. Had a training session this afternoon in preparation for tomorrow’s (Saturday) game.
Plenty of names in the squad who you have played with and against in the past. First impressions?
Yes, I know a lot of the boys. I have played with a lot of them in the past. Woaksey (Chris Woakes) and Moeen Ali like you said. Few of those boys are away at the moment because they have the ODI tour but they are back soon. I know we started a little bit slow but we had two good wins in a row. Even last night we had the opposition four down before the rain came. That was unfortunate that we couldn’t get that game through as we were in a good position. It seems like the team is going in the right direction. And in a tournament you want to play your best towards the final.
Still four games to go so does a situation like that add extra pressure? Joining the team midseason?
I think it can but at the end of the day we, as performers, are so proud of what we do. We put so much expectations on ourselves and we want to play our best all the time. For me, personally, coming into the tournament half-way through I would be looking to inject some energy. I will be giving my all in the field. Hopefully there are some runs, catches and wickets in there. Apart from that, I will be bringing in the attitude I want to bring to the boys. Hopefully that can contribute to some wins.
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