Marcus Stoinis has been appointed the permanent captain of the Melbourne Stars, taking over the responsibilities from Glenn Maxwell, who stepped down from captaincy at the end of last season. Stoinis is the seventh full-time captain of the Stars.
Marcus Stoinis about leading the team
Stoinis, who did a stint as a filling captain for one game last season in the absence of Maxwell, stated he is looking forward to full-time captaincy. “I had a taste of captaincy last year in Maxi’s absence and loved it. It is an enormous honor to be given this responsibility full-time,” Stoinis said.
He added: “The Stars have been a huge part of my summers for the last ten years. I genuinely believe that the team we’ve assembled this season can finally bring the glory this club deserves.”
Maxwell started his reign with the Stars in 2018-19, and he has been at the helm for five seasons now. Under his captaincy, the team reached the finals on two occasions, but both times they were the runners-up. Last season, their hopes came to an end after a late fall in form. Maxwell has been a key part of the Stars, having played 103 matches and captained the team in 65 of these games.
Stoinis, a long-serving Stars member, is just two matches away from becoming only the second player to feature in 100 matches for the club. He is also the Stars’ all-time leading run-scorer with 2,656 runs. He recently signed a three-year extension with the team.
Blair Crouch, Stars’ general manager, thanked Maxwell for his contributions and presented assurances of Stoinis’ leadership. “Marcus showed his leadership qualities last season and has been part of our core group for years. It’s great to have someone who has been here almost from the beginning take charge in BBL|14, said Crouch.
Stoinis’s captaincy will begin with the opening match for the season, against the Perth Scorchers on December 15.
