Australia announced their 15-member squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup, scheduled to start next month in Australia. They have been the defending champions from last year, who won against New Zealand in the finals.
Now, hoping to continue the same form, Aussies have announced almost the same squad from last year, except for one place – replacing Mitchell Swepson with Tim David! With him, here’s what the new team looks like;
Australia Squad For T20 World Cup 2022
Aaron Finch (c), Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, and Adam Zampa.
Tim David’s inclusion in the national squad for T20 World Cup is exciting since it makes him one of the very few players who’s playing for Australia without a List-A career. His heroic batting in the middle order and the ability to turn matches are what made Australian selectors pick him up as an uncontracted freelancer with payment on a matching basis.
Talking about his selection, the chairman of selectors, George Bailey, said
“Tim (David) continues to establish himself with some quality performances in leagues around the world, earning a place in the squad. 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 in recent times.”
As Australia look to retain their trophy on home soil, Tim David may be placed alongside Glenn Maxwell to have a dashing middle order for the team. In this case, he may be replacing Marcus Stoinis or Steven Smith in the squad.
Tim David was born in Singapore but raised in Western Australia most of the time. Although he played 14 T20Is for Singapore and has been a part of various T20 leagues around the world, including the Australian Big Bash League, Pakistan Super League, and Caribbean Premier League.
In 2021, David was picked for a whopping AU$1.53 million by Mumbai Indians of the Indian Premier League, surpassing the Australian superstars Pat Cummins, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Marsh.
Throughout the tournament, he scored 186 runs for Mumbai with an average of 37.20 with the bat at a strike rate of 216.27 – becoming only the third player in IPL history (after Brendon McCullum and Andre Russell) to have more than 100 runs and a strike rate greater than 200.