T20 World Cup 2021: Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis fit for tournament, says Josh Hazlewood

Australian pace bowler Josh Hazlewood has said that all-rounder Marcus Stoinis, a regular in coach Justin Langer's T20 squad in recent times, is recovering from a hamstring injury suffered during the Indian Premier League (IPL) and should be fit for the team's opening T20 World Cup 2021 match against South Africa on October 23.

Australia all-rounder Marcus Stoinis. (Source: Twitter)

Giving an update on Marcus Stoinis, who played 10 IPL games for the Rishabh Pant-led Delhi Capitals, Australian paceman Josh Hazlewood said that the 32-year-old had "just played 18 holes of golf".

"I guess that's a positive sign, I think he seems pretty good, I know he didn't bowl the last game he played but he played as a batsman and felt pretty good I think," Hazlewood told SEN`s Gilly and Goss on Monday (October 18).

"We`ll see over the next few days, we`ve got a few warm-up games and a few training sessions," added Hazlewood, who has often been overlooked for selection in T20 cricket, but is keen to make a mark at the World Cup in the UAE and Oman.

"For me, the T20 stuff is just about playing games and learning all the time and developing my arsenal. I`ve been able to do that over the last two years, and leading into the 2016 T20 World Cup, I hardly played a game for a number of years. It`s just good going in with a bit of form and a bit of continuity as well in that format," said Hazlewood.

Second-highest ODI score at No.7 – 146*
Most balls faced in a T20 innings – 79 (147* runs)
Can smash the ball into the stands like this

Happy birthday to Australia all-rounder Marcus Stoinis! pic.twitter.com/ITGFZlOBeG

— ICC (@ICC) August 16, 2020

Hazlewood added that the players were raring for some good action on the field after spending time in mandatory quarantine.

"I think the keenness is a big statement, and there are a lot of guys chomping at the bit to get out there. Patty (Pat Cummins) and Matty (Mathew Wade), these guys haven`t played much cricket over the last few months, and obviously, Steve Smith and David Warner have been watching a bit of cricket the last few weeks instead of playing."

Australia have never won a T20 World Cup title.