Stoinis becomes first Australian to sign for Sharjah Warriors

Sharjah, Jan 4 (PT) International League Twenty20 (ILT20) side Sharjah Warriors have signed up hard-hitting all-rounder Marcus Stoinis for the upcoming season, making the 33-year-old the first signing from Australia.

In the T20 freelance industry, this move will be considered a significant one as Stoinis will be the first player who would play in two overlapping leagues — Big Bash League and ILT20, making this switch seamless in coming years.

Stoinis’ addition will boost the international appeal of the six-team league, which will have 24 UAE cricketers as well and will be held from January 13 to February 12.

Stoinis is currently playing in the Big Bash League (BBL) for Melbourne Stars and and will join England vice-captain Moeen Ali, Chris Woakes, former Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi and Namibia’s JJ Smit in the Warriors side.

Stoinis is ranked No. 9 in the latest ICC T20I world rankings for all-rounders, while Sharjah Warriors’ Nabi (No. 2), Smit (No. 5), and Moeen (No. 10) too figure in the top-10 list.

Stoinis, a white-ball specialist with 57 ODIs and 51 T20Is under his belt after making his debut in 2015, has been part of several IPL teams, including Delhi Capitals, Kings XI Punjab, Royal Challengers Bangalore and Lucknow Super Giants.

The 33-year-old holds the record for the highest partnership for the seventh wicket in the T20 format, along with Daniel Sams. The pair made 92 against New Zealand in Dunedin in February, 2021. New Zealand had won the high-scoring game by four runs.

This being a busy year for cricket, with new leagues being added in South Africa and the UAE, and cricketers also having national commitments, Sharjah Warriors Stoinis will join the Warriors towards the business of the league.

Squad: Moeen Ali (captain), Dawid Malan, Evin Lewis, Mohammad Nabi, Chris Woakes, Noor Ahmad, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Naveen ul-Haq, Tom Cadmore, Chris Benjamin, Joe Denly, Karthik Meiyappan, M Javed Siddique, Alishan Sharafu, M Jawad Ullah, Mark Deyal, JJ Smit and Bilal Khan.