Marcus Stoinis' 'scar tissue' helps transformation look real

Marcus Stoinis' massive biceps, broad chest and muscular physique in general remind you of the Incredible Hulk, the Marvel superhero. Stoinis himself thinks he looks like the Hulk when he flexes his biceps and chest in celebration after taking a wicket. However, Stoinis the batter - more precisely the finisher - had more looked like Bruce Banner since his breakout unbeaten 146, in only his second ODI innings against New Zealand at Eden Park in 2017.

During that match Stoinis had stepped into bat at 54 for 5 in Australia's pursuit of 287. He watched them slide further to 67 for 6 and would have single-handedly pulled off a coup if not for Kane Williamson swooping in from silly mid-on and running out No. 11 Josh Hazlewood for a duck. In an exhibition of explosive power-hitting, Stoinis blitzed 48 in a 54-run last-wicket stand, with Hazlewood contributing none.

It seemed like Australia had finally found their next big finisher. Stoinis could have become that finisher at various points - most notably Sydney 2018, and Nagpur 2019. However, he couldn't quite get the job done.

The 2019 ODI World Cup didn't go according to his plan either. He feared that his tournament was over after a side strain ruled him out of Australia's first two matches. He managed to return to action but scrounged only 87 runs in seven innings, with the injury also hampering his bowling. Stoinis was dropped from the T20I side after the 50-over World Cup, but he forced his way back in August 2020 after enjoying a prolific run with the Melbourne Stars at the BBL - although at the top of the order.

Had the T20 World Cup gone ahead as scheduled last year, Stoinis might not have even made the cut. A year on, Stoinis has helped take Australia's men's team to within one step of winning their first-ever T20 world title.

The role of a finisher is arguably the toughest in T20 cricket and Stoinis has given himself a chance to succeed by failing multiple times.

"You definitely do draw on your past experiences," Stoinis said the day after the Pakistan semi-final. "Something that's probably lucky looking back is I've played a lot of cricket, I've played a lot of T20 cricket and I've sort of built that scar tissue. I've failed in situations and I've been told I can't finish a game; we've heard all these sort of things before.

"I think you need to go through all sort of stuff and build that scar tissue, go and stand in the middle in a pressure situation. It doesn't mean it's always going to work, but I think I've definitely noticed the way that I do think through that situation has grown over the past couple of years."

Stoinis' stint with Delhi Capitals as their finisher under coach Ricky Ponting has certainly contributed to his growth. At the death in IPL 2020 in the UAE, he struck at 10.21 an over that season, putting himself in the company of the likes of Kieron Pollard, AB de Villiers, Eoin Morgan and Ravindra Jadeja.

Stoinis then injured his hamstring in the UAE leg of IPL 2021 and played just two matches. Another injury, another doomed World Cup for Stoinis? He didn't let history repeat itself, completing three chases in three attempts. The only other time he batted in the tournament, he bagged a duck after Australia had opted to bat against England.

When Stoinis reunited with his former Victoria team-mate Matthew Wade in the semi-final against Pakistan on Thursday, Australia still needed 81 off 46 balls. Stoinis changed the game when he clattered his Stars team-mate Haris Rauf for 13 in the 17th over. When Rauf dug one into the pitch, Stoinis rose tall and smote it over the midwicket boundary with the stillest of heads and smoothest of bat-swings. Next ball Rauf marginally missed his yorker and Stoinis held his shape again to belt it down the ground for four.

The twin blows set the scene for Wade's takedown of Hasan Ali and Shaheen Shah Afridi as Australia pulled off a stunning win. According to Wade, Stoinis' unbeaten 40 off 31 balls was the critical performance in the second semi-final.

"It was pretty much just working with Wadey," Stoinis recalled. "We were talking through one short boundary and one longer boundary. Certain bowlers he thought he could target, certain ones that I could target. And then in between, there's the chaos that's going on in your own head (laughs). So, just trying to stay calm and trying to keep each other calm. You are talking through your plans and making sure you're really clear on what you want to do."

For years, Stoinis has only provided glimpses of the Incredible Hulk persona at the top level. If his recent finishing acts in the T20 World Cup are anything to go by, the transformation could be complete.