SA vs AUS: Ricky Ponting empathises with Marcus Stoinis after T20I squad drop

After facing a series defeat against India, the Australian side will be visiting South Africa. They intend to play a series which will consist of three T20Is and three ODIs. The SA vs AUS series will begin on February 21 and the visiting squad for the tour was announced by Cricket Australia. Surprisingly, names like Marcus Stoinis and D'Arcy Short were missing from the list while Glenn Maxwell made a comeback into the national side.

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Australia squad for SA vs AUS series

T20 Internationals for SA vs AUS

Aaron Finch (captain), Sean Abbott, Ashton Agar, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, and Adam Zampa.

One-Day Internationals for SA vs AUS

Aaron Finch (captain), Ashton Agar, Alex Carey (vice-captain), Pat Cummins (vice-captain), Josh Hazlewood, Marnus Labuschagne, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner, and Adam Zampa.

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Ricky Ponting reacts to Marcus Stoinis being overlooked for SA vs AUS

In an interview with cricket.com.au, Australian legend Ricky Ponting predicted that Australia's squad for the SA series is going to be similar to Australia's squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2020. Reacting to the snubbing of Marcus Stoinis, Ponting felt that the Aussies could not play two all-rounders and Stoinis had been overlooked for Mitchell Marsh. The younger Marsh brother was in sublime form throughout the Big Bash League and so was Marcus Stoinis. While Stoinis excelled as a top-order batsman, Marsh excelled as a true all-rounder. 

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Australia already have a settled top-order which will also see the comeback of Matthew Wade and Glenn Maxwell. Ricky Ponting insisted that Marcus Stoinis has to keep performing and not pay attention to the selection. It is something beyond his control. Ponting re-emphasised his point when he mentioned how the T20I side is so strong that even a highly-successful batsman like D'Arcy Short can not make his way into it.

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Ricky Ponting also backed Glenn Maxwell, who is making a return to ODI cricket after being left out of the India tour. Ponting wanted Maxwell to show his consistency in the SA vs AUS tour and maintain his position in the squad. Maxwell had taken a break from cricket last year to tend to his declining mental health.

South Africa take on Australia for the first T20I of the SA vs AUS tour on February 21 at Johannesburg. SA vs AUS Live streaming details will be out soon.

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