‘Swing hard and don't complicate things': Mitch Owen vows to maintain aggressive approach ahead of white-ball matches against South Africa
Owen wowed crowds in Australia with two centuries to help Hobart win the BBL title last summer and was duly rewarded with contracts in T20 leagues around the world before he was given a shot in the Caribbean.
The 23-year-old made the most of his opportunity and became just the third Australian man to score a half-century on his international T20 debut, with Owen finishing the five-game series with 125 runs at a strike rate of 192.3.
'I'm not sure if surprised is the right word,' he said when asked about how he handled the tour.
'I felt like my game was in a very good spot for a while now and I'm filled with confidence when I go out to bat.
'T20 cricket can be fickle. You can get unlucky and hit one up the chute and get caught pretty early on, but the way I bat, I'm pretty happy to take those risks.
'Some days it comes off and some days it doesn't. Luckily, it came off in a few of those games.'
While he plundered runs for fun at the top of the order for the Hurricanes, Owen was used in the middle order during the West Indies tour and could be forced to bat there again in the first T20 against South Africa in Darwin on Sunday night.
Owen is the only uncapped player in the ODI squad and declared his batting style wouldn't change if he was pushed down the order, with the international rookie simply looking to 'try to swing hard and don't complicate things'.
'It's very situational,' he said.
'If I'm opening the batting or if I'm batting down the order, not much will change. Not much really changes in any form of my cricket.
'I just like to hit the ball. If I think to defend then I go into my shell a little bit and it doesn't work. I'll be keeping that same mindset.'
The all-rounder has spent the past few months being exposed to new conditions and challenges in franchise cricket around the world, but nothing compared to the thrill of playing for the national team in front of his parents and partner.
'I definitely felt a lot more nervous than I have the last few months playing franchise cricket,' he said.
'I feel like there's a bit more weight having the Australian badge on.
'I feel super proud to represent Australia, so once those nerves disappear a little bit, I can get to work on trying to hit a few sixes.'
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