MELBOURNE (Reuters) – Australia’s Tim David said Marcus Stoinis’s match-winning innings against Sri Lanka at the Twenty20 World Cup on Tuesday was something special and the power-hitter is hoping to get the chance to do something similar during the campaign.
An unbeaten 59 from 18 balls from Stoinis at Perth Stadium boosted Australia’s net run rate and got their title defence back on track after a heavy loss to New Zealand in the Super 12 opener at the weekend.
David did not get to bat as Stoinis and skipper Aaron Finch got the tournament hosts over the line in Perth but said he was chomping at the bit to show what he could do.
“It was an amazing performance,” he told reporters in Perth after the match. “That just showed how this team is set up, have guys to go out and take the game by the scruff of the neck and win it.
“We want to go out and put in match-winning performances, it doesn’t happen every time but, absolutely, that’s the sort of role I’d love to play.”
Finisher David was brought into the Australia squad for the World Cup despite never having played a first class game and scored 11 runs from eight balls against the Black Caps.
Batting at number six, the 26-year-old knows his opportunities might be limited but said he knew what was expected of him when the chance came.
“It comes down to my role in the team, I’m there to try and move the game on, try to enforce it,” he added.
“Where I’m going batting in the team, I’m not going to face a lot of balls so I’ve got to be ready to go out and play to my strengths every time.”
Next up for Australia in their bid to grab one of the top two spots in Group 1 and qualify for the semi-finals is Friday’s clash in Melbourne against England, who won the warm-up series between the sides 2-0.
“They got the wood on us in that series so we’ve got a point to prove and we’ve got a game to win on Friday night,” he said.
(Reporting by Nick Mulvenney, editing by Peter Rutherford)
