Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis is likely to miss the series decider fifth ODI against India after it was confirmed that he has a fracture on his right thumb.
Jewel Samad / AFP
The 29-year-old, who is Australia's reigning men's ODI player of the year, picked up the injury while fielding during his side 32-run win in the third ODI in Ranchi and was replaced by Ashton Turner for the fourth ODI.
Stoinis was assessed ahead of the fourth ODI, but having failed the fitness test, Cricket Australia has confirmed that he remains a doubt for the series decider. Speaking about the extent of his injury, teammate Peter Handscomb called for patience.
"He'll look to play at some stage but it's just pain management with him," Handscomb said.
"When it's your bottom-hand thumb it makes it hard to hold the bat.
"We've just got to wait and see with him."
Up until now, Stoinis has played a critical role in Australia’s tour of India, having scored 37, 52 and 31 in three ODIs. His replacement for the fourth ODI, Aston Turner, however, made sure the absence wasn’t felt by scoring a match-winning knock of 84 from just 43 balls.
Stoinis' dearth though was experienced in bowling department which led to the likes of Aaron Finch and Glenn Maxwell sharing the stakes. The duo gave away 83 runs in a combined 11 overs (3 Finch and 8 Maxwell).
