Star opening batsman Marcus Stoinis lands BBL player of the season nod
Marcus Stoinis has been named the 2019-20 Big Bash League player of the tournament.
The Melbourne Stars opening batsman topped the leaderboard with 26 votes, finishing ahead of Sydney Sixers' English duo Tom Curran (24 votes) and Alex Hales (23 votes).
The award, voted by the umpires after each of the 56 regular season matches, comes after Stoinis became just the second player to pass 600 runs in a BBL season.
Stoinis's most memorable moment came on January 12 at the MCG when he smashed 147 not out from 79 balls against the Sixers, setting the record for the highest individual score in BBL.
Marcus Stoinis gets creative during his BBL century. Getty
His individual milestone came in a 207-run opening stand with Hilton Cartwright, another BBL record.
Stoinis finished the regular season with 607 runs at a average of 60.70, and has hit five fifties to complement his record-breaking century.
"I'm honoured to have been voted as the 2019-20 Big Bash League Player of the Tournament," Stoinis said.
"I love playing for the Melbourne Stars. This team is special to me and I love having the opportunity to run out onto the field with them.
"We've got a big match against the Sydney Thunder on Thursday night and I hope to see our Team Green fans at the MCG to help get us over the line."
While Stoinis has been outstanding with the bat for the Stars, he did endure one low moment in the BBL this season and was fined $7500 for a homophobic slur directed at the Melbourne Renegades' Kane Richardson.
Stoinis later apologised for the incident, saying it was out of character and not in line with the way he was raised.
Stoinis hasn't been involved in any format of international cricket since battling through side strains - and poor form - at the World Cup but he has previously said he is hopeful of a forcing his way back into Australia's set-up.
Stoinis has been superb with the bat throughout the BBL season Getty
"I guess so (I've got a point to prove). I guess the only way to put yourself back in the Aussie team is by doing well at state level - whether that's Big Bash or state cricket, so selection will look after itself," he said.
Stoinis's form helped the Stars finish top of the ladder and after scoring five in their finals' loss to the Sydney Sixers last weekend he is just 25 runs behind D'Arcy Short's record tally for runs scored in a single BBL campaign.
BBL player of the tournament leaderboard:
Marcus Stoinis (Melbourne Stars) 26 votes
Tom Curran (Sydney Sixers) 24
Alex Hales (Sydney Sixers) 23
Jon Wells (Adelaide Strikers) 22
Glenn Maxwell (Melbourne Stars ) 21
D'Arcy Short (Hobart Hurricanes) 21
Rashid Khan (Adelaide Strikers) 18
Chris Lynn (Brisbane Heat) 17
Josh Philippe (Sydney Sixers) 17
Callum Ferguson (Sydney Thunder) 16
