Australia clicked at right time, says all-rounder Marcus Stoinis
Wednesday, 24 April 2019 (17:22 IST)
New Delhi:Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis feels that the Aussie team's turnaround in-form has happened at the right time boosting the players' confidence, just before the ICC World Cup slated to start from May 30 in England and Wales.
Last month, Australia came back from 2-0 down to win the five-match series by 3-2 against India, registering their first One Day series win in two years, followed by a 5-0 sweep against Pakistan in the United Arab Emirates.
"I think everyone is really confident. To win eight games in a row away from home was very important for us," Stoinis told reporters on the sidelines of a Royal Challengers Bangalore training session, ICC reported on Wednesday.
"We needed it. We had lost a lot of games over the last year or so. It's good timing. Everyone started to believe in each other and we started to play well as a team," the 29-year-old cricketer added.
The improvement in the Australia's performance may seem sudden, but he said it was a gradual process.
"From the outside, it might look like it happened all of a sudden, but it also shows that the game of cricket is only about minor details," he said. "Even in the time we were losing, we learnt a lot, started getting closer in a lot of games," the all-rounder said.
Stoinis also expressed happiness over David Warner and Steven Smith's return to the team after serving a one year ban for their role in the ball-tampering scandal last year.
"It (their returns) is a massive boost," said Stoinis, adding, "People have stepped up in the last few months and we have started winning games consistently. It all adds to the mixture and definitely adds to a World Cup winning combination."
Defending champion Australia will start their campaign against Afghanistan in showpiece event on June 1 in Bristol. (UNI)