Marcus Stoinis delivered the most electrifying all-round performance of the T20 World Cup 2024 so far, smashing an unbeaten 67 off 36 and then taking 3/19 to help Australia defeat Oman by 39 runs in Barbados on Thursday.

The mighty Australian, fresh off a stellar IPL 2024 season for us, came into bat with his team teetering at 50/3 inside nine overs. Initially cautious, Stoinis scored his first nine runs off 14 balls before unleashing his fury in the 15th over, smashing four sixes off Mehran Khan.

Stoinis brought up his third T20I fifty with a six in the 17th over. His knock included six maximums and two fours and helped Australia reach 164 in 20 overs after being 80/3 in 14 overs. 

Stoinis didn’t stop there. With the ball in hand, he dismantled Oman’s batting lineup, picking up wickets of a well-set Omani skipper Aqib Ilyas in the powerplay, Zeeshan Maqsood and a dangerous Mehran Khan.

Stoinis, with his Player of the Match performance, became just the third player after Shane Watson and Dwayne Bravo to score a half-century and take a three-wicket haul in the same match at the men’s T20 World Cup. 

Stoinis was also a force to be reckoned with for us in the IPL this year, scoring 388 runs from 14 games. He averaged over 32 with a strike rate of nearly 150. His unbeaten 124 against CSK in Chennai became the highest individual score in a chase in the IPL. With the ball, Stoinis picked up four wickets for us and was brilliant on the field too.

Next, Australia face defending champions England in a highly anticipated Group B showdown at the same venue on Saturday. England’s Mark Wood, sidelined from the IPL season due to injuries, is making a much-awaited comeback after a lengthy layoff.