MELBOURNE (Reuters) -Australia all-rounder Marcus Stoinis has retired from one-day internationals with immediate effect to focus on T20 cricket, pulling out of the country's Champions Trophy squad.
Australia will need to make four changes to their preliminary Champions Trophy squad after skipper Pat Cummins and fellow fast bowler Josh Hazlewood were ruled out of the eight-team tournament which begins later this month.
All-rounder Mitchell Marsh had already been ruled out of the tournament with a lower back problem while Cummins (ankle) and Hazlewood (hip) are nursing injuries.
"Playing ODI cricket for Australia has been an incredible journey, and I’m grateful for every moment I’ve had in the green and gold," Stoinis, 35, said in a Cricket Australia media release on Thursday.
"Representing my country at the highest level is something I'll always cherish.
"This wasn’t an easy decision, but I believe it’s the right time for me to step away from ODIs and fully focus on the next chapter of my career."
Stoinis was a member of Australia's World Cup-winning squad at the 2023 tournament in India but was dropped in favour of Marnus Labuschagne for the semi-final and the decider against the hosts.
He was later dropped from the ODI squad entirely before earning a recall last October for the white-ball series against Pakistan.
Although featuring only once in the Pakistan series in Perth in November, his first ODI in a year, Stoinis earned a spot in the Champions Trophy squad for the tournament co-hosted by Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates.
Australia also have to find replacements for Cummins, Hazlewood and Marsh who have all failed to recover in time.
"Unfortunately Pat, Josh and Mitch are managing some ongoing injuries and haven’t come up in time for the Champions Trophy," national selection panel chair George Bailey said.
"While disappointing, it does present a great opportunity for other players to perform for Australia in a world event."
Coach and selector Andrew McDonald was effusive in his praise for Stoinis.
"Stoinis has been such a pivotal part of our ODI setup for the past decade," he said in the Cricket Australia release.
"Not only has he been an invaluable player but also an incredible person to have in the group. He is a natural leader, an exceptionally popular player and a great person.
"He should be congratulated on his ODI career and all of his achievements."
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne and Amlan Chakraborty in New Delhi; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman and Ken Ferris)
