MELBOURNE: All-rounder Marcus Stoinis has retired from one-day internationals with immediate effect to focus on T20 cricket, pulling himself out of Australia’s Champions Trophy squad.
“Playing ODI cricket for Australia has been an incredible journey, and I’m grateful for every moment I’ve had in the green and gold,” the 35-year-old said in a Cricket Australia media release on Thursday.
“Representing my country at the highest level is something I’ll always cherish.
“This wasn’t an easy decision, but I believe it’s the right time for me to step away from ODIs and fully focus on the next chapter of my career.”
Stoinis was a member of Australia’s World Cup-winning squad at the 2023 tournament in India but was dropped in favour of Marnus Labuschagne for the semi-final and the decider against the hosts.
He was later dropped from the ODI squad entirely before earning a recall last October for the white-ball series against Pakistan.
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Although featuring only once in the Pakistan series in Perth in November, his first ODI in a year, Stoinis earned a spot in the Champions Trophy squad for the tournament co-hosted by Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.
His abrupt retirement forces selectors into another reshuffle, with all-rounder Mitchell Marsh already ruled out of the tournament with a lower back problem and captain Pat Cummins highly unlikely to feature due to an ankle issue.
Coach and selector Andrew McDonald was nonetheless effusive in his praise for the barrel-chested all-rounder.
“Stoinis has been such a pivotal part of our ODI setup for the past decade,” he said in the Cricket Australia release.
“Not only has he been an invaluable player but also an incredible person to have in the group. He is a natural leader, an exceptionally popular player and a great person. “He should be congratulated on his ODI career and all of his achievements.”
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