Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis has finally shared his pain with the cricketing fraternity after going through a torrid time post his father’s demise in November 2017. Stoinis’ father Chris was suffering from non-Hodgkin lymphoma and passed away at the age of 60.

Stoinis opened up about his personal loss in an exclusive interview with cricket.com.au.

The 28-year-old appreciated the support he got from his fellow cricketers and mentors in this difficult time. He cited examples of Adam Zampa, Peter Handscomb and Justin Langer, who stood by him and helped him in every possible way.

"I've realised that (cricket) is a family for me. When I found out about Dad, I had Adam Zampa there sitting on the boundary with me and we sat there for about half-an-hour. And I’m sharing these games with him now. We stand next to each other every national anthem. I’ve got some bloody good friends and I’m just having fun doing it,” Stoinis told cricket.com.au.

"My perspective has changed, for sure. Obviously the experiences you go through change your perspective as you go through life. Cricket for me is quite a lot more enjoyable than it has been in the past. I probably have been in a rush for a number of reasons to get things done in cricket, but at the moment it's become a lot more fun," he further added.

Stoinis also expressed his gratitude for the former England batsman Kevin Pietersen, with whom he has shared four BBL seasons at the Melbourne Stars. Terming KP as an ‘unbelievably generous man’, the Aussie all-rounder credited Pietersen for helping him in taking a step forward in international cricket.

 “He’s been unbelievably generous with his time and he hasn’t needed to be. That’s been over the last 12 months, we’ve built a stronger relationship and had continual conversations about cricket and about perspective,” Stoinis said.

 “He’s been through everything from the back page to the front page of the paper. And just approaching the game, he’s a smart cricketer and there’s a reason why he’s as good as he is. He’s been good for me,” he added.

Having made his international debut in 2015, Stoinis grabbed the attention of the cricketing fraternity with his awe-inspiring innings of 146* against New Zealand in an ODI match at Auckland earlier last year. He then left a very good impression with his consistent all-round showing in Australia’s limited-overs tour to India in September-October 2017.

With Australia all set to take on England in the five-match ODI series from January 14, Stoinis is deemed as a key player for the hosts.