BRIDGETOWN, Barbados, CMC – A dynamic Player-of-the-Match performance from Marcus Stoinis enabled double-crown world champions Australia to waltz past Oman by 39 runs in the ICC Men’s Twenty20 World Cup on Wednesday in Barbados.
The 34-year-old came to the rescue of the reigning Test and One-day International world champions with a purposeful 67 not out off 36 balls that included three fours and six sixes, and the Australians reached 164 for five in their opening Group B match under the lights at Kensington Oval.
Long-standing left-handed opener David Warner supported with a resolute 56 from 51 balls that included six fours and one six and shared a 102-run, fourth wicket stand with Stoinis to rescue the Aussies from a shaky 50 for three in the ninth over on a slow pitch.
Warner, playing in his final global tournament before retirement from the international stage, passed former Australia captain Aaron Finch for the most runs in T20Is for the Baggy Greens with a current aggregate of 3 155.
Stoinis returned with the ball to undermine the Omani batting, scoring three for 19 from three overs. Three other bowlers grabbed two wickets, and the Gulf side was restricted to 125 for nine from their allocation of 20 overs.
“It’s nice to start the tournament well,” Stoinis said. “It’s just one game, but it’s nice to start it well. It’s nice to spend time in the middle. I have been playing a lot recently, but I still have had a good two weeks off without a game, so starting the tournament well is excellent.
“It [the pitch] wasn’t a shock. From watching the games, that will likely be the tournament’s theme. But it’s one thing watching it from the side and then another thing to adapt yourself while you’re out there, so it was fine. It just took some getting used to.”
On his role in the Australia batting, he added: “I’ve played all these roles before. I played the first half of the IPL (Indian Premier League T20) in that role. I played, I don’t know how many games, six games, seven games at three, so all of it’s nice.
“I think that’s one of the luxuries of where I’m now in my career… I’ve seen all these sorts of situations. It doesn’t make it easier to deal with, but you at least know what you want to do.”
Put into bat. The Australians endured an early setback when pacer Bilal Khan got left-handed opener Travis Head caught at mid-off for 12 in the third over.
Australia limped to 37 for one at the close of the Power Play, unable to find their groove against steady bowling from Oman, who utilized the benign surface. Mehran Khan got Aussie captain Mitchell Marsh caught at long-on for 14, and Oman captain Aqib Ilyas held an acrobatic catch at cover to send Glenn Maxwell packing for a first-ball duck.
The Australians were 56 for three at the drinks break at the halfway stage of the innings, but Stoinis unleashed an assault in the second half of the innings; Warner added stability, and they led the recovery for their side.
Stoinis hit four sixes in the 15th over from Mehran. Still, he was fortunate, on 11, that the first of them, Ayaan Khan, back, pedaled and tumbled onto the boundary rope while holding onto the ball to give the Aussies their first maximum of the innings – and from there, the acceleration kicked in.
Lanky left-arm pacer Mitchell Starc, who left the field before the end of his spell with a cramp, set Oman back early when he got Pratik Athavake lbw for a first-ball duck after a successful umpiring review with the third ball of the chase.
Oman limped to 29 for three at the close of the Power Play, and they were 48 for four at the halfway stage with no real hope of challenging the well-drilled Aussies.
Group B continues on Thursday when Namibia plays Scotland at 3 p.m. at the same venue. Australia faces arch-rivals England on Saturday, while Oman meets the Scots at the Vivian Richards Cricket Ground on Sunday in Antigua.
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