Why is Marcus Stoinis not playing today’s BBL 12 match between Sydney Sixers and Melbourne Stars at the SCG?

During the 15th match of the ongoing 12th season of the Big Bash League between Sydney Sixers and Melbourne Stars in Sydney, Melbourne Stars have lost two quick wickets in the powerplay to not have the best of starts.

Put in to bat first by Sydney Sixers captain Moises Henriques, Stars witnessed opening batter Thomas Rogers (0) getting out on the second ball of the match after unsuccessfully attempting a switch-hit off veteran spinner Steve O’Keefe. Some sharp work from Sixers wicket-keeper Josh Philippe found the batter short of his crease.

Much like O’Keefe, SS fast bowler Sean Abbott also picked a wicket in his first over itself. In fact, it was on the first ball that he bowled that Abbott dismissed James Seymour (6). A soft dismissal witnessed Seymour lobbing the ball back to the bowler after an attempt to play a short ball on the leg-side resulted in a leading edge.

Why is Marcus Stoinis not playing today vs Sydney Sixers?

Reduced to 8/2 in the third over, Stars would’ve ideally wanted for all-rounder Marcus Stoinis to bail them out of trouble in spite of his lack of runs in BBL 12. Having said that, that responsibility now falls on others as Stoinis isn’t playing this match.

One of the two changes made by MS on Monday, Stoinis has been replaced by Seymour for this match. The second change has come in the bowling department where Nathan Coulter-Nile has been replaced by Liam Hatcher in a like-for-like move.

Stars took to their social media platform Twitter handle to reveal that both Stoinis and Coulter-Nile have been rested to manage their workloads. “Marcus Stoinis and Nathan Coulter-Nile have both been managed and will not play in tonight’s clash,” read Stars’ tweet.

Second-highest run-scorer for Stars in the history of the BBL, Stoinis is the joint lowest run-scorer for them this season with his four runs across three innings coming at a dismal average and strike rate of 1.33 and 40 respectively.