Mitchell Owen becomes third Australian with half-century on T20I debut
What's the story
Mitchell Owen made a stunning debut for Australia in the first T20I against West Indies, scoring a half-century and taking a wicket. His performance helped Australia secure a three-wicket victory in Jamaica. The visitors chased down 190 with seven balls to spare. Owen's 50 runs came off just 27 balls, making him only the third Australian to score a T20I half-century on debut after David Warner and Ricky Ponting. Here are his stats.
Match-winning knock
Owen powers Australia's run chase
The Aussies were reeling at 78/4 when Owen joined Cameron Green in the middle. The duo scripted an 80-run fifth-wicket partnership before Green departed for a quick-fire 51 off 26 balls. Nevertheless, their efforts meant Australia prevailed with seven balls to spare. Notably, Owen fell to Alzarri Joseph in the 17th over right after completing his fifty.
Debut highlights
Owen joins Warner, Ponting in elite list
Owen's 50 runs came off just 27 balls as he smashed six sixes and not a single four. As per ESPNcricinfo, he became only the third Australian batter to reach the landmark on T20I debut after Warner and Ponting. While Ponting made 98* off 55 balls vs New Zealand in 2006, Warner smoked 89 off 43 on his T20I debut against South Africa in 2009.
Stats
Owen has been sensational in T20s lately
Owen has had a stellar run in T20 cricket this year. He scored 452 runs at an average of 45.20 and a strike rate of 203.60 in the 2024-25 Big Bash League (BBL). The dasher finished the competition as the leading run-getter as he smoked two tons, including one in the final. Earlier this month, Owen was named Major League Cricket's most valuable player for the 2025 season after scoring 313 runs and taking 14 wickets for Washington Freedom.
Information
1,000 T20 runs for Owen
With this fifty, Owen also went past 1,000 T20 runs. He now owns 1,010 runs from 49 games at 25.89 with his strike rate being 186.34. The tally includes three fifties and a couple of tons.
Bowling breakdown
WI posted a strong score
West Indies had a strong start, but their late collapse saw them finish at 189-8. Ben Dwarshuis was the star of the show with his career-best figures of 4-36, including three wickets in four balls in the penultimate over. He dismissed Roston Chase (60), breaking a 91-run stand with Shai Hope (55). Shimron Hetmyer scored a quick-fire 38 to power the hosts.