NZ's Tim Robinson shines vs Australia, smokes maiden T20I hundred
What's the story
New Zealand's rising batting sensation Tim Robinson smoked a brilliant hundred in the opening T20I against Australia. Despite a rocky start where New Zealand lost three early wickets, Robinson's explosive innings of 106 runs off just 66 balls helped stabilize his side. His performance was instrumental in guiding the Kiwis to a strong total against their trans-Tasman rivals at Bay Oval, Tauranga.
Knock
A knock of character from Robinson
The Kiwis were off to a horrible start, having been reduced to 6/3. However, Robinson's 92-run partnership alongside Daryl Mitchell (34) rescued the team. The former further dominated a 64-run stand with Bevon Jacobs (20) as NZ posted a brilliant 181-6. Robinson completed his hundred in the penultimate delivery before hammering the final ball for a six.
Stats
Third 50-plus score in T20Is
Robinson smoked five sixes and six fours en route to his whirlwind 106* of 66 balls. This was his maiden hundred and a third 50-plus score in T20Is, which has taken his tally to 384 runs from 13 games at 38.4 (SR: 137.63). Overall in T20 cricket, Robinson hammered his second T20 hundred (50s: 7). In ODIs, the batter has scored 48 runs across three games at 16.
Feats
Robinson registers these feats
Aged 23y 156d, Tim Robinson became the second youngest NZ batter to hit a T20I hundred, as per Cricbuzz. He is now only behind Finn Allen, who did that at 23y 96d vs Scotland (Edinburgh, 2022). Robinson also became just the third NZ batter to score a T20I ton against the Aussies. He joined legends Brendon McCullum and Martin Guptill.
Information
Do you know?
NZ's 181/6 is the second-highest score for a team after losing three wickets inside 10 runs a in Men's T20Is. PNG's 206/7 vs Singapore (from 5/3) in 2022 tops this list. The previous-highest for a full-member side was Sri Lanka's 171/7 (from 8/3) vs Ireland in Abu Dhabi in 2021,
Career transition
From javelin thrower to hard-hitting batter
Robinson, a 23-year-old hard-hitting batter, was once a javelin thrower before he transitioned into professional cricket. His aggressive batting style first came into the limelight during the 2023-24 Super Smash season. He scored an impressive 298 runs in six matches with a strike rate of 187.42. His performance caught the attention of Kiwi selectors and earned him a spot in New Zealand's senior T20I squad for an away series against Pakistan.
International debut
Robinson's journey to the top
Robinson made his international debut against Pakistan but had a disappointing start as he was dismissed by Shaheen Afridi for a duck. However, he didn't let that define him. He has now scored his maiden international hundred, and that too against Australia. His innings helped New Zealand recover from early setbacks and post a competitive total.