Hobart Hurricanes’ Big Bash final hero Mitch Owen will make his debut for Australia in the first T20 international against West Indies in Jamaica.
While captain Mitch Marsh refrained from revealing the full XI on match eve at Sabina Park, he confirmed to cricket.com.au that Owen would receive T20 cap No.112 in the series opener in Kingston.
An international debut caps a remarkable eight months for the Tasmanian allrounder who hit two centuries during a breakout KFC BBL|14 campaign last summer, which included equalling Craig Simmons’ 39-ball record for the competition’s fastest hundred in the final to lift Hobart to their maiden Big Bash championship.
Those performances led to deals in South Africa’s SA20, the Pakistan Super League, Indian Premier League and Major League Cricket in the United States, where he was named the tournament MVP for his 313 runs and 14 wickets for runners-up Washington Freedom.
“The ball has been flying about (at training), he’s a really exciting prospect for Australia,” Marsh said ahead of his side’s five-match series against the West Indies.
“A young, imposing figure, he appears to be a really nice young man, and we just want him to enjoy playing big for Australia, and hopefully he can win us a few games.”
While Owen’s breakthrough T20 success has come opening the batting, it appears likely his opportunities for Australia could come in the middle order with the squad loaded with top-order options, including skipper Marsh, Matt Short and Travis Head, who has been rested for this series but would be certain to feature at next year’s T20 World Cup.
While Head and other T20 regulars Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood have all been rested from the series following Australia’s 3-0 Test sweep of West Indies last Monday, the Caribbean T20 tour kicks off a crucial block of 19 matches for Marsh’s side in the lead up to next year’s World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
“Like most guys coming in and out of the squad over the next (19) games, we’ll see guys bat in different positions and get opportunities in certain positions,” Marsh said.
“First and foremost, it’s always we’re representing Australia, we’re here to win the series and culturally, that’s how we want to go about it.
“There will be guys that get opportunities.
“We’ve obviously got a few guys missing for this series for a well-earned rest, but we want guys to be flexible, fluid, come together as a team and be really connected.”
Owen switched to the top of the order in the white-ball formats last summer after beginning his Hurricanes and Tasmanian 50-over career at number seven and eight, which remains his role in the Tigers’ Sheffield Shield team.
But he said his game plan wouldn’t change much if his opportunity for Australia was a return to the middle order.
“A lot of my (method) is just trying to hit the ball nice and clean,” he told cricket.com.au ahead of his debut.
“All that experience (playing around the world this year) has made me quite clear on my game plan, so I guess that breeds a bit of confidence.
“I’d float back into (the middle order) quite easily. I had a little bit of experience at the PSL batting down at six and seven.
“I’m just happy to be getting the game, I don’t really mind where it is and if it’s down the order, I’m looking forward to that opportunity.”
While there will also be plenty of opportunity for the likes of fringe quicks Nathan Ellis, Sean Abbott, Ben Dwarshuis and Xavier Bartlett, as well as allrounder Aaron Hardie with the ‘big three’ of Cummins, Starc and Hazlewood absent, Marsh confirmed he wouldn’t be bowling in the lead up to the World Cup.
The Aussie skipper has only bowled once in domestic or international white-ball cricket in the past 14 months, and was a fielder just once in IPL 2025 due to that tournament’s impact sub rule as he finished as the tournament’s fifth highest run-scorer with 627 at 48.23.
The 33-year-old quipped ahead of Sunday’s series opener that he’d spent his time at home in Perth following the IPL practicing his fielding.
“Currently my bowling is offline, and we’ll just see where that gets to,” Marsh said.
“But looking forward to just playing as a batter for the moment.
“The IPL was awesome, and it was great to have a month at home and spend some time with the family and my daughter.
“I come here really refreshed and ready to go, the energy has been really high within this group; it’s youngish and we look forward to tomorrow.”
Qantas Tour of the West Indies
First T20I: July 20, Kingston, Jamaica (July 21, 10am AEST)
Second T20I: July 22, Kingston, Jamaica (July 23, 10am AEST)
Third T20I: July 25, Basseterre, St Kitts (July 26, 9am AEST)
Fourth T20I: July 26, Basseterre, St Kitts (July 27, 9am AEST)
Fifth T20I: July 28, Basseterre, St Kitts (July 29, 9am AEST)
West Indies T20 squad: Shai Hope (c), Jewel Andrew, Jediah Blades, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde (St Kitts only), Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Alzarri Joseph, Brandon King, Evin Lewis, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Andre Russell (Kingston only), Sherfane Rutherford, Romario Shepherd
Australia’s T20 squad: Mitchell Marsh (c), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshius, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Mitch Owen, Matthew Short, Adam Zampa
