Australian debutant Mitchell Owen delivered a surprising all-round show in his first T20 Worldwide, guiding his staff to an exhilarating three-wicket win over the West Indies at Kingston Stadium, Jamaica, on Sunday. The 23-year-old scored a fast 50 and claimed a key wicket, serving to Australia chase down the goal with seven balls to spare.Owen made an instantaneous influence with the ball, conceding simply 14 runs and dismissing West Indies captain Shai Hope, who had earlier anchored the innings with a 55 off 39 deliveries.Strolling in to bat at No. 6 with Australia in hassle at 78 for 4 within the ninth over, Owen turned the sport round with a blistering 80-run partnership off simply 40 balls alongside Cameron Inexperienced. Owen introduced up his half-century in simply 27 balls earlier than falling to Alzarri Joseph, whereas Inexperienced smashed 51 off 26 earlier than being dismissed by Gudakesh Motie.Owen’s debut efficiency etched his identify into the document books:He grew to become the primary participant in T20I historical past to attain a fifty and take a wicket on debut towards a full-member nation, breaking a 16-year-old document held by South Africa’s Rassie van der Dussen.
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He joins Eire’s Simi Singh as solely the second cricketer from a full-member facet to realize this double on debut. Singh had scored 57 and brought three wickets towards the Netherlands in 2018.Owen can be simply the second participant to hit a half-century from No. 6 or decrease on debut towards a full-member nation, after England’s Phil Salt, who scored 57 off 24 towards the West Indies in 2022.He now stands alongside Ricky Ponting and David Warner as solely the third Australian to notch a fifty on T20I debut.
Owen’s rise comes on the again of a stellar Large Bash League 2024-25 season, the place he was instrumental in Hobart Hurricanes’ title win — scoring 452 runs and taking six wickets throughout 11 matches, together with a match-winning century within the last.His expertise additionally earned him a mid-season IPL contract with Punjab Kings as a substitute for Glenn Maxwell, making one look through the 2025 season.General, Owen turns into simply the twentieth participant globally — together with affiliate nations — to realize the uncommon feat of scoring a fifty and taking a wicket of their T20I debut.A dream debut — and maybe the beginning of one thing large for Australian cricket.