InMobi

Marvellous Marcus has Vics raving

International rookie praised by state teammate after memorable Eden Park century

As Marcus Stoinis peeled off one of the greatest centuries in Australian one-day international history on Monday afternoon, the phones of his domestic teammates across the Tasman were running hot.

Stoinis clobbered a magnificent 146no against New Zealand in Auckland, edging Australia to within touching distance of a victory that ultimately proved to be just out of reach.

In just his third international match, the Bushrangers right-hander steadied Australia's shaky run chase before unleashing a dominant display of power hitting, much to the delight of his Victorian teammates watching back in Melbourne.

Super Stoinis sets new all-round benchmark

A group of players that has had plenty to celebrate on the international stage this summer.

"Like most we have a WhatsApp group up and running and everyone was talking about it and giving him lots of encouragement and saying well done," Bushrangers teammate Cameron White said today of Stoinis's remarkable performance.

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"It's great to see anyone doing well for Australia and we've had a few boys do that this year.

"It was great when Pete (Handscomb) was doing well and whenever the boys were doing well this summer, especially in their first few games for Australia."

Maximum Marcus Stoinis smashes 11 sixes

Stoinis's innings capped off a chaotic and mixed day for Victorian cricket at Eden Park after regular Bushrangers skipper Matthew Wade was ruled out with a back injury on the morning of what would have been his international captaincy debut, the leadership of the side instead going to state teammate Aaron Finch.

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The allrounder's incredible knock stunned even the keenest observers of the game, but White says he wasn't overly surprised by his teammate's memorable performance.

With the situation of the match dictating Stoinis ease into his innings before exploding late on, White says it suited the 27-year-old perfectly and allowed him to show the world what he's displayed in glimpses at domestic level.

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"It was great for Marcus to show the cricket community what he can do," he said. "It was a breakout innings for him and hopefully he can take a lot of confidence from that and really move on.

"It was something else. It was unbelieve batting, no doubt.

"We've seen glimpses of that in Victoria, the power that he has. He's a big boy and he can definitely give it a whack. Those grounds definitely aren’t big enough for him over there (in New Zealand).

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"He's a top order player in Shield cricket and we've seen glimpses of that in shorter formats before.

"We definitely knew he had it in him. He'll be feeling great this morning about his own game and (it will give him) the belief that he can do that and do it often for Australia."

White's rapid ton lifts Vics to imposing total

White, Player of the Tournament in two of the past four domestic one-day cups and the leading run-scorer this season, admits his own chances of an international recall seem "a long way away" after he was overlooked for the series in New Zealand.

Top order regulars Steve Smith, David Warner, Usman Khawaja and Mitchell Marsh are all missing the series, but White still wasn't able to force his way into the squad despite scoring a tournament high of 457 runs at 76 in the Matador BBQs One-Day Cup last October.

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The 33-year-old says he's focused instead on steering Victoria to a third consecutive Shield title, but added he was often confused by the national selection process.

"It's a glimmer of hope now these days," White said ahead of Victoria's Shield clash against NSW, starting tomorrow in Melbourne. "It seems like it's a long way away.

"I guess you still hold out hope of playing cricket for Australia, like everyone playing domestic cricket.

"Just the way selection is going it seems like it's a way off at the moment.

White lifts Bushrangers in Shield chase

"It seems as though there is a lot of emphasis on Big Bash cricket. Whether that's too much, I haven't spoken to the selectors and I don't know what they take into account.

"Whether it's domestic, Big Bash, Pathway cricket I hear a lot about. I'm not sure what's the most important thing is these days.

"Any time you think you're half a hope to get a game you're always a little bit disappointed. But what do you do? Once the team is picked selectors don't often change their mind.

"I really enjoy playing cricket for Victoria, playing well and winning so that's the focus now."