Australian allrounder Marcus Stoinis is doubtful to play against India in Australia’s first match of the ICC World Cup 2023 on October 8 in Chennai due to a hamstring injury.

Stoinis picked up a hamstring injury during the first ODI of the three-match ODI series against India in Mohali last month. He did not participate further in the series and did not feature in Australia’s ICC World Cup 2023 warm-up fixtures.

Australian coach Andrew McDonald gave an update on Marcus Stoinis’ injury while talking to media in Chennai ahead of their first game.

“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. “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.”

McDonald also shed light on Australia’s team combination, as well as the possibility of playing Cameron Green and Stoinis together.

“There’s a way that we can fit them both into the one side,” he 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 all-rounders 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.”

He further stressed the importance of Glenn Maxwell in the squad considering his current form, as he picked four wickets against India in the final ODI, which was his first game after returning from injury. He followed that with a half-century against Pakistan in the warm-up match.

“Glenn Maxwell being able to cope with the demands of the game that he played, a significant innings plus being able to back up and bowl as many overs as he did. He has pulled up really well,” said McDonald.

“So a few of those moving parts that we had leading in have unfolded positively for us, which is nice. If you asked me that two weeks ago, I would have been a little bit worried but now everything seems to have come together nicely,” he concluded.

Australia’s squad for the ICC World Cup 2023

Pat Cummins (c), Steve Smith, Alex Carey, Josh Inglis, Sean Abbott, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, David Warner, Adam Zampa, Mitchell Starc.

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