The elevation in arenas was significant for Mitch Owen, but the idea to just “swing hard” remained his guiding principle after a stunning international debut in which he joined the most esteemed company.
Only fellow Tasmanian Ricky Ponting and David Warner had made a half-century on T20 debut for Australia before Owen, shuffled down the order having made his name as an opener, blasted six sixes in an unforgettable 27-ball 50 under the bright lights in Jamaica.
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With his parents and girlfriend in the stands at Sabina Park, Owen, who has been “on the go” since putting his name in the headlines with a century in the Big Bash final, took a wicket with the ball, then made his mark immediately with a fourth-ball six, his first scoring shot, as a signal of intent with the bat.
That was the plan too, always is for Owen, who was modest post-match about his brilliant first-up performance.
“I’m firstly happy we got the win and it was nice to contribute,” he said.
“But yeah, it’s great to join those class players.
“For me, I’ve been trying to play positive over the last six to eight months and today wasn’t any different, going out there, trying to put the pressure back on the bowlers and I was lucky enough I got a few away early and was able to work into my innings.”
MATCH CENTRE: West Indies vs Australia second T20 live scorecard
Owen’s stunning turn in the Big Bash, scoring two hundreds including his whirlwind 108 off just 42 balls in the final in Hobart, resulted in contracts around the international T20 circuit.
He started in South Africa in January, then got gigs in the Pakistan Super League and hit the big-time playing with a call-up to the Indian Premier League, albeit getting just a single game.
Most recently, Owen has been blasting bowlers in Major League Cricket in the US where he was named player of the tournament after making 313 runs and taking 14 wickets in 12 games.
His efforts landed him an Australian call-up ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup, with a spot up the top, or in the middle as a slugging partner for Hurricanes teammate Tim David, all now live options.
“Any time you get a young kid who comes in and performs like that in his first game for Australia, it’s always exciting,” Australian captain Mitch Marsh said after Owen’s Sabina Park heroics.
“We’re pumped for him.
“We want him to come in here and be as relaxed as possible. We understand he’s going to be nervous playing for Australia but try and create a relaxed environment where he can hopefully keep doing that for us.”
The second T20 between the West Indies and Australia gets underway at Kingston’s Sabina Park on Wednesday at 10am AEST.
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