Marcus Stoinis called up by Australia to replace Mitchell Marsh
Thursday 9 March 2017 07:57, UK
All-rounder Marcus Stoinis will replace the injured Mitchell Marsh for Australia's final two Tests of their tour of India.
Stoinis, who is currently playing a Sheffield Shield match for Victoria in Alice Springs, will fly to India at the conclusion of their game against Western Australia.
The 27-year-old Perth-born player has already represented Australia in three one-day internationals and a Twenty20 but is yet to be capped at Test level.
Marsh is returning home due to an ongoing shoulder injury. He had scored 48 runs and bowled just five overs across the first two Tests in Pune and Bangalore.
Regarding the change, chief selector Trevor Hohns said: "When we looked at the various options there were two or three people that came to mind of course.
"Marcus was one, Moises (Henriques) was another, another young fella by the name of Jack Wildermuth was considered as well - he's had a terrific season too.
"But Marcus got across the line simply because during Australia A here a couple of years ago he performed very well.
"Secondly, to give us as many options we could have going forward in this series, we felt the stronger bowler was the best option at this stage. That's what got him across the line."
Stoinis toured India with Australia A in 2015, averaging 48 with the bat and taking three wickets in two first-class matches.
He also caught the eye with an unbeaten 146 against New Zealand in the ODI series last month.
The four-Test series is currently level at 1-1. The third Test begins on March 16 in Ranchi.
