Marcus Stoinis scored the fastest T20I 50 ever by an Australian as the hosts beat Sri Lanka by seven wickets and 21 balls to spare to improve their net run rate. Australia, under pressure after having lost the opening match of the campaign to New Zealand, we're in a pickle when the middle-order batter came to join Aaron Finch.
They needed a further 69 of 46 balls on a wicket that had something in it for the quicker bowlers as is always the case at Perth. However, Stoinis, who opens the batting at the BBL, reprised that role in a devastating display of power-hitting. His innings were all the more remarkable as Finch (31.no., 42b, 1x6) couldn’t hit it off the square.
Out of the 18 balls Stoinis faced, 10 went to the boundary (4x4, 6x6). His last 14 balls read 4, 0, 4, 4, 1, 1, 6, 4, 6, 1, 0, 6, 6, 1, 6, 6. He began his exhibition of boundary hitting against the gentle medium pace of Chamika Karunaratne. He helped a short ball over the keeper’s head for a boundary before two streaky boundaries in the same region off Dasun Shanaka.
There was nothing streaky about how he handled Wanindu Hasaranga, a leg-spinner. In theory, it was a match-up for Hasaranga but Stoinis, in this mood, doesn’t care too much about the grammar of the sport. His first six was off a short ball which was pumped over long-on before depositing another ball in the stands in the same region two balls later.
Maheesh Theekshana was given similar treatment the next over for two sixes on either side of the non-striker. Suddenly, the asking rate had climbed down from over 9.00 to under 6.00 despite Finch’s best efforts who was visibly getting frustrated. That six-hitting was on display versus Lahiru Kumara too. Kumara, who had hit Maxwell in a dangerous part of the body in his third over, was treated with disdain for the match’s last maximum.
The hosts, who had elected to field first, were looking at chasing something around 130-140 before two cameos from Charith Asalanka and Karunaratne strung together an unbeaten 37-run stand in 2.3 overs.
For the hosts, all the regular bowlers chipped in with a wicket each while keeping a lid on the scoring.
Australia, though, is not yet out of the woods yet. Their next match is against England at the G on Friday.
Brief scores:
Sri Lanka 157/6 in 20 ovs (Nissanka 40, Dhananja 26, Asalanka 38 n.o) lost to Australia 158/3 in 16.3 ovs (Finch 31 n.o, Stoinis 59 n.o).