Australia 158/3, Sri Lanka 157/6
Q. Marcus, well played. Have you ever batted better than that?
MARCUS STOINIS: Probably wasn't a long enough innings to feel like batting. Maybe slogging. Yeah, it was good slogging.
Q. It was remarkable the way you hit the ball. It's a big ground and it just kept disappearing. What possessed you?
MARCUS STOINIS: I was actually quite nervous, to be honest, so yeah, the intention was just to go put an impact on the game and probably provide a bit of energy for the boys and try and get a spark going.
Q. Marcus, just on that, did you feel as a team a bit flat in the bowling innings today? Do you feel that you maybe did need a moment like you produced to sort of get things going a bit?
MARCUS STOINIS: I don't think we felt flat, to be honest. I think it felt like we bowled pretty well. I felt like we bowled well in the powerplay. There were a few balls up in the air that fell in gaps and that sort of stuff. I think we're pretty happy with how we bowled.
Yeah, there's definitely things we can tidy up and a few -- you tidy up three or four balls in the game, and it could be the difference of 18 runs sort of thing.
Yeah, it'll just be little things that we review.
Q. Did you feel a bit of confidence back in the rooms when you came off there?
MARCUS STOINIS: Yeah, I did, yeah. I think obviously we didn't start the way we wanted this World Cup campaign to start. Yeah, and being in your home country, that's not how we wanted to start and how we want to play. It's only one game. It's nice to be on the board.
Yeah, so it's going to be a big game on Friday at the MCG.
Q. You just spoke about wanting to make an impact in this game. You're reacting a lot after a lot of those sixes. Was that just part of it? You were just feeling it?
MARCUS STOINIS: Yeah, just feeling it, just trying to also -- we have a bit of fun with that, Mitchy Marsh and ash Agar and Kane Richardson and Davy Warner, we have a bit of fun even in the nets doing that sort of stuff. So yeah, just getting around the boys really. Probably sometimes over the top, but it's all with the right intention. It's all for our group really.
Q. With an innings like that, does it take that first six to just come off the best part of the bat and then you just -- again, speaking of feeling it, you start feeling good about how it's coming off the bat and just go through with it?
MARCUS STOINIS: Yeah, a little bit, yeah. Yeah, the first couple of balls and finding the middle of the bat or whatever it is or just getting going and running a few singles or twos gets you going. Then yeah, you always -- in your head taking that first risk is always the hardest I think in all formats, but particularly in T20 when you usually have to take it a bit sooner than you want. So yeah, it does help your confidence when you get one away, yeah.
Q. It seemed like you took down the spin tonight really well. How much has playing in the IPL helped you do that, and can you talk us through your process against spin in particular?
MARCUS STOINIS: Yeah, good question. Yeah, definitely the IPL has changed my cricket and helped me evolve, and it's not only playing on the wickets, it's having the coaches from all over the world, having players from different countries. I've played for quite a few years in the IPL and quite a few teams, so you come across a range of techniques and mentalities about how to play spin. Yeah, it has helped me improve for sure.
But yeah, so I'm looking for two balls really, one off the back foot and one off the front foot, just to at least have an option to each. Yeah.
Q. Is that kind of the technique or mentality that you've kind of settled on?
MARCUS STOINIS: Yeah, it is, and you sort of then go from there. You're trying to get the field that you want, which is sometimes why you want to play a lap or reverse or a sweep shot, which I'm working on sort of thing.
Yeah, so that's the skeleton of it. But then you're always working.
Q. Just on Adam having COVID, what was that like to get that news, and is there a bit of a fear around other people potentially getting it in the camp?
MARCUS STOINIS: Yeah. It's not ideal because I know he would have loved to be out there playing today. Yeah, but that's just where we're at at the moment, I guess. Everyone around the world is going through that, and every team is going to have their process in place to try and keep it as safe as possible.
Yeah, when we first got COVID, it was back in the Big Bash and a few of us had it at the same time, and he said it wasn't as bad as that time. Hopefully he's okay in a couple days; we'll see. But yeah, all the boys are testing and doing what we can to make sure we're all right, I guess. Yeah.
Q. Ashton stood up well in his absence.
MARCUS STOINIS: Yeah, he did. It's really hard on Ash because I think he's economy rate in international T20 is like six or something like that. I mean, it's just the team balance that sort of keeps him out of the team, and we've got Zamps so does so well for us.
Yeah, so we know it's almost -- when Zamps was sick, instead of pushing him to try and play this game, I think it was an easier option to make sure he gets better and looks after himself when you've got someone like Ash waiting on the wings to take over. He's a gun fielder, and he's there with the bat, as well. So he's a great all-around package for us, and he provides good energy around the team. It's almost just a shame he can't play every game.
Q. Just on Maxwell's knock today, it was obviously very important, as well. Do you know how he's pulled up? That was a pretty nasty blow, wasn't it.
MARCUS STOINIS: Yeah, his knock was really important. It sort of sent a little spark to the team, as well. I think it got us going. His play of spin is unbelievable, like Louis was asking. Probably should ask Glenn about that.
But yeah, he's in the changing room now icing up. He said it's pretty sore. But I think it's all good. I think it's just going to bruise up, I guess.
Q. Back on Zamps, was he on the golf course when he got the news that he had tested positive?
MARCUS STOINIS: No, that one is not true. Zamps can't play golf.
Q. Did you know when exactly he got the news?
MARCUS STOINIS: I don't know exactly. I think it wasn't long after we just landed in Perth. Yeah, I think he would have probably -- I think he tested that morning and he was fine and then got into Perth and wasn't feeling great, so tested again, and yeah. I'm not sure when.
Q. Just on Finchy tonight, it seemed like he was quite frustrated out there, just wasn't coming off for him. Have you ever seen him that frustrated batting before?
MARCUS STOINIS: Yeah, I think that's just how it is. I think also that new ball was actually doing a lot from what I could see from the boundary. So it was definitely the hardest time to bat.
I think it's just important that he saw that through and was there to hit the winning runs.
Q. The way you accelerated during your knock, was that just being conscious of the net run rate and how important that could be towards the end?
MARCUS STOINIS: Not really. I mean, it was just batting and looking at score, obviously, and then maybe towards the last couple of overs that I faced, I thought should I rein it in or should I keep going, but it's probably just the time; you just keep going. If you hit one and get caught on the boundary, it's part of the game, I guess.
Q. Before this game, Mitch Marsh said Australia had their backs to the wall. How would you describe the next one against England?
MARCUS STOINIS: Well, our backs are still against the wall, I think. It's going to be a really important game for us.
Yeah, I don't know what the equations are going to be later on through the tournament. There's been a bit of rain around Australia, as well.
Look, we'll just -- the backs are against the wall, and we'll look to take that game on, and yeah, we'll go from there, I guess.
Q. England had a great game here bowling-wise. How do you kind of see the matchup, especially in T20?
MARCUS STOINIS: Yeah, they're a very, very good team, and we just played a three-game series against them, as well. Very strong batting lineup, skillful bowlers, a good mix of left armers, right armers, spin, leg spin, off spin, so they've got all bases covered.
But yeah, I think it's also you've got to land on the beach, as they say, and come up with your plan sometimes because I was watching the first game at the MCG, which was a cracker, but there was definitely a bit in that wicket early, as well. You can have your plans, but I guess you've got to sum up the conditions, as well, once you get there.
Q. You're a local boy; a bit of pace and bounce in a WA wicket again must be nice. Do you hope to see that continue at the new stadium?
MARCUS STOINIS: Yeah, the new stadium is brilliant. I love playing here. It does make me a bit more nervous than usual because you've got your friends and family over.
No, it's a beautiful stadium. They've done a great job. The wicket is great. The ones we played on -- one we played on against England, as well, was a brilliant wicket. Not so good for my bowling, but yeah, better for batting, I guess.
FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports