Big-hitting all-rounder Tim David has been included in the Australian team for the upcoming T20 World Cup, starting in October. David will also be part of the tour of India for the three T20Is in mid-September before the tournament, giving him his first chance for Australia.
David is a Singapore-born middle-order batter who has been lighting up the T20 leagues around the world, including the BBL and comes into the Australia set-up from outside the national or state contract system. He is currently contracted with Hobart Hurricanes and has previously played 14 T20Is for Singapore.
“He is a highly gifted, natural ball-striker who will add extra batting depth to the group which has had a lot of success in T20 cricket,” national selector George Bailey said. “We expect him to play a similar role to that he has been playing in the past few years.”
David scored 278 runs at 39.71 at an astonishing strike rate of 194.40 in the Pakistan Super League and has emerged as one of the best finishers in the world. He was also picked for a massive AU$1.5 million deal with Mumbai Indians in the IPL.
“It’s a different journey, there’s no doubt about that which is really exciting,” Bailey said. “It’s unique for a number of things. It’s really challenging for players to just be a franchise cricketer without having a base or a support network. You might see it more and more, but there’s some challenges being just a franchise cricketer as well.”
In T20 cricket, he averages 32.48 with a strike rate of 164.12 making him one of the 11 players to have batted at least 20 times at No. 5 or below in T20 since the start of 2021 and comfortably hit at a strike rate of 164.56, ahead of Kieron Pollard in second place.
Au stralia squad for T20 World Cup:
Aaron Finch (captain), David Warner*, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade (wk), Tim David, Josh Inglis (wk), Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood, Kane Richardson
(*Cameron Green replaces David Warner for India tour)
