Mitchell Owen Leads Australia To Victory Over West Indies on His T20I Debut
Mitchell Owen is having a remarkable year—starting with a big century in the BBL final and now making his T20I debut for the men in yellow. Australia is currently playing T20 cricket in Cthe aribbean, and they have started this series with a bang. Owen led his side to a memorable chase in the first T20I held in Jamaica.
Superb start for the hosts
Australia plays with a totally different team in the T20 format. All senior bowlers are rested, allowing opportunities to other talented players. West Indies were asked to bat in this match. Brandon King and Shai Hope made a good start by adding 32 runs in the first three overs. King fell to Cooper Connolly on 18.
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Roston Chase joined his skipper for the second wicket. These two were impressive with the bat as they added 91 runs for the second wicket in just 55 deliveries. Chase was the aggressor as he smashed 60 runs in just 32 deliveries. Hope added 55 runs to the total and took 39 balls in the match. Shimron Hetmyer came in at number four and made full use of the opportunity. The left-hander smashed 38 runs in just 19 balls.
An epic collapse
West Indies were in a commanding position until the 16th over. Australia changed the match in the last four overs of their bowling. Sean Abbott removed Powell in the first ball of the 17th over. He gave just eight runs in that over. Nathan Ellis followed it up with a nine-run over.
Ben Dwarshuis was handed the responsibility to bowl the 19th over of the match. The left-hander kept his nerve and removed three Windies batters. He only gave one run in that over. Ellis bowled the last over and gave only five runs. He also got Hetmyer’s wicket in that over. West Indies managed to score just 23 runs in the last four overs and gave away five wickets. The hosts ended their innings on 189 for the loss of eight wickets. Dwarshuis took four wickets for the visitors.
Decent start but Fraser-McGurk struggles once again
Mitchell Marsh opened the innings with Jake Fraser-McGurk in this match. The opening pair lasted just 12 balls. Jake’s poor form continued as he got out on just two runs. The 24-year-old averages just 14 after eight T20I matches. Australia scored at a good pace in the power play but lost both openers towards the end. They added 64 runs for the loss of two wickets. Marsh added 24 runs to the team’s total. Inglis and Maxwell failed to convert their starts. This left Australia in a tight situation of 78 for four in 8.2 overs.
Mitchell Owen and Green to the rescue
Cameron Green was joined by debutant Mitchell Owen. These two added 80 runs for the fifth wicket in just 40 balls. Green was dismissed for a well-made 51 in just 26 balls. Owen continued his hard hitting. His innings was eventually over on 50. The tall Tasmanian took just 27 balls and smashed six sixes in his innings. Australia chased this massive target with seven balls remaining.
