Marcus Stoinis expresses gratitude to his teammates for supporting him in tough times

Australian cricketer Marcus Stoinis is finally coming to terms after a personal tragedy. His father Chris passed away at the age of 60, a couple of months ago owing to non-Hodgkin lymphoma. The cricketer cherished the support he received from his teammates in this difficult time.

The 28-year-old described the events that followed after the tragedy. He gave an inside account of his relationship with his Australian and Melbourne stars teammate Adam Zampa. He further explained how Zampa stood behind him during tough times.

I’ve realized that cricket is a family for me

Speaking to cricket.com.au, Stoinis said that former Victorian teammate Peter Handscomb and Western Australia coach Justin Langer provided invaluable support and comfort. Both have also gone through similar personal tragedies in the last couple of years.

“When I found out about Dad, I had Adam Zampa there sitting on the boundary with me and we sat there for about half-an-hour. And I’m sharing these games with him now. We stand next to each other every national anthem. I’ve got some bloody good friends and I’m just having fun doing it.”

Stoinis praises KP

The Australian all-rounder was all praise for Kevin Pietersen. Earlier, the 37-year-old had announced that this was going to be his last Big Bash League season. Both have been part of the Melbourne Stars for a long time now. Stoinis spoke about the bond he had built with the Englishman over the time.

“He’s been unbelievably generous with his time and he hasn’t needed to be. That’s been over the last 12 months, we’ve built a stronger relationship and had continual conversations about cricket and about perspective.”

Pietersen has been a controversial figure during his international playing days. He has had a roller coaster ride, having enough ups and downs throughout his career. Stoinis remarked that the veteran had been really nice to him.

“He’s been through everything from the back page to the front page of the paper. And just approaching the game, he’s a smart cricketer and there’s a reason why he’s as good as he is. He’s been good for me.”

Marcus Stoinis stated that he was ready to play. The all-rounder is going to be an influential player in the Australian lineup as they kickstart the ODI series against England.

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