Australia all-rounder Marcus Stoinis is doubtful for Australia's opening encounter of ODI World Cup 2023 against Rohit Sharma-led India on October 8 in Chennai. Stoinis is carrying a hamstring niggle he suffered during the first of the three-ODI series in Mohali against India last month. Stoinis did not feature in Australia’s warm-up matches against the Netherlands and Pakistan as well.
"He's got a slight hamstring complaint at this stage, so that's why he missed the practice games and he'll be touch and go for the first game against India," Australia coach Andrew McDonald told the reporters as he was asked about an update on Stoinis. "We've got the main session today and then another hit out tomorrow, so he'll go through his work there and we'll see whether he's available for selection for game one but at the moment he wasn't fit and available for those practice games."
In Stoinis' absence, Cameron Green looked in good touch in the warm-up encounters. After a quickfire 34-run knock against the Dutch, he scored an unbeaten 50 against Pakistan in Hyderabad. While Green is likely to replace Stoinis if the latter does not recover in time, McDonald wants to find a way to include both in the playing XI.
"There's a way that we can fit them both into the one side," the 42-year-old said. "Over the last 18 months, we've had a pretty clear way that we want to build three ways of playing. One of those ways is definitely with all the allrounders and potentially two quicks, and you've seen that side in the past 18 months being played, so there is a real possibility that both of those players can be in the same XI and we haven't ruled that out."
McDonald is ready to make a few necessary changes in the lineup as he expects few minor injuries in the long-running tournament. He also expects Travis Head to recover midway through the tournament.
"The World Cup is a long campaign, there's no doubt going to be some sore bodies at certain times. We feel as though with [our] squad that we've got great flexibility, albeit at the moment obviously Travis Head sitting and where he's at, that'll give us greater scope to shift and maneuver the side the way that we have over the last 18 months," he further added.
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