Matthew Wade: Marcus Stoinis’ bowling has improved over the last few years

Marcus Stoinis has been called into Australia's squad for the remainder of the ongoing Test series in India after Mitchell Marsh was ruled out due to a shoulder injury. Stoinis was preferred ahead of other all-round options such as Hilton Cartwright, who made his Test debut against Pakistan in the first week of January, and Moises Henriques. Despite being an inherently attacking batsman, Stoinis’ ability to chip in with the ball kept him ahead of his competitors is what his state skipper Mathew Wade feels.

Wade said, “Batting at No.3 in Shield cricket has placed him in a really good spot to play an all-round role for Australia. He can bat anywhere in the order. But the last couple of years we’ve seen improvements from his bowling. “Australia A (in 2015) he bowled really, really well, took the pace off,” reported The Indian Express.

Last month, Stoinis scored an astonishing innings of 146 runs against New Zealand in a one-day match that was studded with 11 sixes. Wade feels that his strong batting prowess has made the selectors take notice of him.

“He knocked off a couple of their big players in that series so I think the last couple of years that’s probably what the selectors have seen a bit more in him. They always knew he was a really strong batter, but his bowling has improved out of sight over the last few years,” Wade said.