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Sydney Morning Herald
21-07-2025
- Sport
- Sydney Morning Herald
Debutant Owen joins exclusive club with Ponting and Warner in Australian victory
Key posts 2.03pm Owen and Green overpower West Indies in Jamaica 1.31pm Abbott and Dwarshuis seal it for Australia 1.06pm Owen escapes bizarre run out chance, Green goes for 51 12.31pm Maxwell outsmarted by Motie 12.13pm Marsh edges behind, Green goes bang 11.25am Three wickets in four balls for Dwarshuis 11.07am Welcome Mitch Owen 9.34am Australia win the toss and bowl Hide key posts Latest posts Pinned post from 2.03pm Owen and Green overpower West Indies in Jamaica Mitch Owen converted his Big Bash League heroics into an Australian debut to remember as the freewheeling Tasmanian and a sharp Cameron Green overpowered the West Indies in the first T20 at Sabina Park. While Jake Fraser-McGurk was preferred at the top of the order and did not last long, 23-year-old Owen showed his domestic league performances would translate to the top level by crushing no fewer than six sixes on his way to 50 from 27 balls. Owen's stand of 80 with Green (51, 26 balls) was brutal in its execution, as the burly Australian lineup tallied 17 sixes overall, well clear of the nine struck by the hosts when they batted first. Only two other Australian players have made 50 on their T20 debuts, and they are a pair of storied names: Ricky Ponting in 2005 and David Warner in 2009. Owen's parents and partner were in Jamaica for the occasion, which began with a cap presentation from his Hobart Hurricanes teammate Nathan Ellis. 'It's great to join those class players,' Owen said afterwards. 'I've just been trying to play positive over the last nine months, and I just try to put pressure on the bowlers. I went out there and tried to hit a six first then work my way down.' While it was widely stated that Owen was batting out of position in the middle order, it's where he had started out for the Hobart Hurricanes before going up to the top. It's possible to see something similar happen for Australia. Loading For the time being, Owen's combination of clean hitting and sensible strike rotation is going to be a useful addition to the team's suite of options for next year's T20 World Cup. With Travis Head and Matt Short at home, there are opportunities for others. The same is true for the bowlers while Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood are resting, and Ben Dwarshuis and Ellis were particularly effective in pulling back a flying start by the West Indies. After Roston Chase (60, 32 balls), Shai Hope (55, 38 balls) and Shimron Hetmeyer (38, 19 balls) all got going, the Caribbean side looked capable of posting a tally in the 220 region. However Dwarshuis (4-36) and Ellis combined nicely around a typically tidy spell from Adam Zampa to ensure the West Indies did not get away. From 2-159 in the 16th over, the West Indies lost 6-40 to close out the innings, including 4-6 in the final two overs of the innings. The bowlers were, in turn, well-supported in the field. Glenn Maxwell took three catches, while Green's two were both outstanding. By contrast, the last hope for the West Indies was extinguished when the substitute fielder Jewel Andrew dropped a straightforward outfield catch offered up by Sean Abbott with seven runs still required. Owen and Australia were not only more powerful, they were neater as well. 1.43pm Mitch Owen is man of the match on debut Mitch Owen is man of the match. He's joined Ricky Ponting in 2005 and David Warner in 2009 as Australians with half centuries on T20 debut - a couple of top quality names. 'It's great to join those class players,' he says. 'I've just been trying to play positive over the last nine months, and I just try to put pressure on the bowlers. I went out there and tried to hit a six first then work my way down.' West Indies skipper Shai Hope says his side can take some positives from the game, but feels they left themselves about 30 runs short with the bat. Australian captain Mitch Marsh was happy with how his bowlers rounded off the innings and had plenty of praise for Owen. 'The way we fought back with the ball, our last five overs were outstanding. Then we had a lot of power with the bat in the middle. Any time you get a young kid who comes in and performs like that it's exciting. We're pumped for him. We'll try to create an environment where he can keep doing that for us.' 1.31pm Abbott and Dwarshuis seal it for Australia Australia 7-190 win by three wickets Abbott and Dwarshuis make the most of the reprieve in the previous over to secure victory with seven balls to spare. Australia will be grateful for Owen's excellent debut, a powerful half century from Cam Green and also the superb work by the bowlers and fielders to clamp down on the West Indies after they looked capable of posting 220-plus. Tellingly, it was a conclusive victory for Australia in the power stakes. West Indies hit nine sixes in their total, but Australia had passed that tally in the first 10 overs, and finishes with 17 sixes in all: Owen and Green pummeled 11 between them. 1.17pm 50 and out for Owen Wicket! Australia 6-180 chasing 190 Owen reaches a thoroughly impressive half century from a mere 26 balls, crashing Joseph down the ground. His family in the stands are delighted. But he tries to repeat the shot next ball and is taken at long on, leaving West Indies with a small glimmer of hope. Connolly faces up to Joseph and is beaten first ball, but the last ball of the over is short and the left-hander swivels to pull neatly behind square leg. Ten to win from three overs. 1.14pm Connolly hits a steepling six Australia 5-169 chasing 190 Cooper Connolly gets away with a couple of cuts through the off side after Roston Chase comes on to bowl his off spinners, then he finishes the over with a steepling straight hit for six. That ball briefly hovers on the roof of the stand before dropping back to earth. Australia need 21 runs from four overs. 1.06pm Owen escapes bizarre run out chance, Green goes for 51 Wicket! Australia 5-158 chasing 190 Green drives back past the bowler and the ball hits the stumps. Motie reckons he got a fingernail on the ball and if so Owen is short of his ground, backing up. The third umpire takes an eternity to decide on whether Motie's hand actually touched the ball, and his call for ultra edge to see if there's any kind of contact results in a not out verdict. Green then breaks up a sequence of dot balls by creaming a six over long on and then finds a boundary that takes him to 51 from just 25 balls. He's been very sharp. Just as I say that, Green doesn't get all of his next big hit attempt and is caught at long on. Australia need 32 from 30 balls. 12.59pm Green stands and delivers Australia 4-148 chasing 190 Green has been giving Owen plenty of the strike, but when Holder comes around the wicket, he hammers a boundary straight and then a six over straight midwicket. When Holder drops short to Owen, the ball climbs over both batter and wicketkeeper for four byes. Australia have won the battle of who can hit the most sixes pretty comfortably, and now they need 42 from the last six overs 12.48pm Owen clatters Hosein Australia 4-123 chasing 190 Another big six from Owen, this one swung over backward square leg on the slog sweep as Hosein gets a little too far to the leg side. There's an escape for Owen later in the over as he is nearly bowled by a ball that goes narrowly over the top of the stumps. Owen responds by launching another six, this time a towering pull shot over wide long on, then he repeats the dose, making it three in the over.
Yahoo
06-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
England T20 captain Harry Brook: I'm already preparing for 2026 World Cup
Harry Brook has been England's T20 captain for exactly one match but admitted he was already taking decisions with one eye on next year's World Cup. Friday's 21-run win over the West Indies in Durham was Brook's first outing as skipper in the format but he knows time is short to get his feet under the table. Advertisement England have just 14 more games scheduled before the next global tournament in India and Sri Lanka in February, meaning the time is now when it comes to making plans. That meant lining up with just two seamers for the first ever time in home conditions, with 12 overs of spin giving a hint at the structure England are likely to lean on in the sub-continent. While Brook's predecessor Jos Buttler set things up with a dominant knock of 96, Liam Dawson walked away with the player-of-the-match award in his first international appearance in nearly three years. The 35-year-old Hampshire stalwart claimed career-best figures of four for 20, while there were also wickets for Adil Rashid and Jacob Bethell. Advertisement 'We don't want to look too far ahead but we've got to trial some things like this,' said Brook. 'The next World Cup is going to be in Sri Lanka and India. We're not completely set on this structure for the team but it's worth a go and it worked this time. 'I just think that having two very good spinners – frontline spinners – makes a massive difference. 'As a batter, when you're facing two experienced spin bowlers, you have to decide which end you're going to attack. 'These two (Rashid and Dawson) have been playing the game for so long, they know T20 cricket, they know the grounds and they've played against so many of these boys, that having them both in the side will help us going forward.' England claimed a 21-run win over the West Indies on Friday (Owen Humphreys/PA) Dawson, who has been overlooked consistently for a rotating cast of spinners with inferior records on the county circuit, was praised for an 'awesome' comeback performance that saw him get the best of Johnson Charles, Sherfane Rutherford, Roston Chase and Rovman Powell. Advertisement 'He bowled beautifully. He's got so many skills. He's been playing the game for pushing on 20 years and he's learned a lot of things along the way,' said Brook. The West Indies were frustrated to be missing one of their own left-arm spinners on a helpful pitch for the slower bowlers. Akeal Hosein has yet to make it to English soil after delays related a change in UK visa requirements for Trinidad and Tobago. Cricket West Indies said 'attempts to expedite the visa process' had been unsuccessful but a spokesperson confirmed on Friday that the 32-year-old could arrive ahead of Tuesday's series finale in Southampton. All-rounder Jason Holder said: 'He was missed, he's one of our frontline players. It's an unfortunate situation. Advertisement 'We can't control that so we can only control what's in front of us. We've got players here who are willing and able to do a job for the West Indies. 'We had a team that was good enough to beat England but we fell a little short, particularly with the bat.'
