Kingston (Jamaica): Mitchell Owen marked his international debut with a half-century and a wicket to help Australia to a three-wicket win in the Twenty20 cricket series opener against West Indies.
Owen shared an 80-run fifth-wicket stand off 40 deliveries with Cameron Green, who scored 51 off 26 balls, to put Australia on course to reach the victory target of 190 with seven balls to spare on Sunday.
After being sent in to bat and making a flying start, West Indies was restricted to 189-8 after losing four wickets for five runs off the last nine balls.
Australian fast bowler Ben Dwarshuis returned a career-best 4-36, taking three wickets in four deliveries — Jason Holder blocked a hat-trick ball but was out next delivery — in the next-to-last over of the West Indies innings.
The top four West Indies batters all got starts, with Roston Chase plundering 60 from 32 deliveries before he was caught in the deep off Dwarshuis’ bowling to end a 91-run second-wicket partnership with Shai Hope (55) in the 13th over.
Anotehr win has given Australia, coming off a 3-0 test series sweep, an early lead in the five-game T20 series.
Owen, a Tasmanian allrounder who opened the batting with success for the Hobart Hurricanes in the domestic T20 league last season, joined David Warner and Ricky Ponting as Australians who’ve scored a half-century on debut in the format.
“Firstly happy we got the win — it was nice to contribute,” he said. “Just nice to be mentioned with those class players.”
Owen’s innings
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The 23-year-old allrounder’s first scoring shot was a six straight down the ground against Andre Russell in a contest between a player on international debut against a veteran playing his next-to-last game. He also clouted the last ball of that over for six.
Owen hit three sixes in one over from Akeal Hosein that went for 20 runs and included a dropped catch when the batter was on 26.
He survived a very narrow miss on 42. Owen was at the non-striker’s end and was out of his ground when Cameron Green hit a drive straight back down the pitch and it went through spinner Gudakesh Motie’s hands and hit the stumps. After a long delay to check with ultra-edge technology, there was no evidence of any touch from Motie and umpires confirmed Owen was not out.
Green raised his 50 off 25 balls later in the same over with a six and a boundary but was out next ball, caught in the deep off Motie.
Owen scored 50 off 27 deliveries before he was caught out in the deep off Alzarri Joseph’s bowling with Australia needing 15 runs from 21 deliveries and four wickets in hand for victory.
Key wicket
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Shimron Hetmyer swiped Owen’s first delivery in international cricket — in the 16th over of the match — over his left shoulder for six in extrordinary fashion. But the young Australian got his first wicket two balls later when Hope mis-timed a slower ball and was caught in the deep after hitting four boundaries and three sixes in a 39-ball innings.
“Fantastic,” Australia skipper Mitch Marsh said of Owen’s debut. “Any time you get a young kid that comes in and performs like that in his first game for Australia, it’s always really exciting.
“I’m sure there’ll be lots of people — I think it’s mid-morning back home now — that would’ve watched that and will be really excited. So we’re pumped for him.”
