Marcus Stoinis should be playing all three formats, expresses David Hussey

It has been a rough few months for Marcus Stoinis who, despite being named Player of the Tournament in the recently concluded Big Bash League, after setting a new tournament record with a tally of 705 runs, was bafflingly overlooked for the T20Is against South Africa. Even an injury to Glenn Maxwell was not enough to fit the Western Australian into the fifteen, as the selectors went ahead with the left-hander D'Arcy Short, who also gives the team a spinning option.

Stoinis has made 14 scores of 50 or more in his T20 career, of which only one has come when he's opened. The all-rounder's career average in the middle order (batting at No.5 and below), too, is a mere 27.80 and these factors enabled the selectors to go for Mitchell Marsh, who played in the middle-order for Scorchers in the recently concluded BBL edition.

"Marcus is so adaptable, He plays in the middle for WA in four-day cricket and one-day cricket and does very well for them. He's batted in the middle order for the Stars for a few years until he got cattle-prodded up to the top of the order, which he's excelled at. He's a great fielder, he's a great bowler, he's a great team man. Whatever the coach asks, he'll do it to the best of his ability and he would fit into any team and dressing room."