ICC World T20 2022 | For a long time playing for Australia looked unlikely, admits Tim David

09/02/2022

121

Tim David has opened up on his inclusion in Australia's World T20 squad, stating he always strived to play for the Kangaroos even though it seemed a distant dream at times. The Singapore-born cricketer went on to talk about his evolution as a T20 specialist and journey as a professional cricketer.

The rise of Tim David from being an emerging talent from Singapore to being awarded a place in Australia's World T20 squad on home soil reads somewhat like a tale from a child's storybook. The 26-year-old has never even played a first-class match in his career but has still been a force against some of the world's best bowlers in T20 leagues all around the world. When Mumbai Indians, who are renowned for their scouting network, paid upwards of INR 8 crores for him at the 2022 auction, it was evident to the world that David was no ordinary talent. The all-rounder did not disappoint, excelling in his role as a finisher and firmly establishing himself as a regular by the time the season came to an end.

Interestingly, all of David's 14 T20I appearances have come for his birth country of Singapore, scoring 558 runs at a brilliant average of 46.50 while maintaining a strike rate of 158.52. With just a few fixtures remaining for Australia ahead of the marquee event Down Under, it might just so culminate that he makes his debut for the reigning champions on the biggest stage itself.

I think for a long time (representing Australia) looked unlikely, but I don't think that I wouldn't have ever imagined it. It's something that you still always want to strive for, and I guess it feels really rewarding for myself and I guess for my family and my support network to be able to get that call and share it with them,” David told cricket.com.au

Parimatch

Explore Parimatch review and find out what the best India cricket betting bookmaker is capable of!

Find Out

David made his professional debut in 2018 for the Perth Scorchers in the Big Bash League but only came to the fore with the Hobart Hurricanes two years later. Since, the 6-foot 5-inch enigma has enthralled audiences with his power-hitting, firmly establishing himself as a specialist in the game's shortest format.

“T20 has not become a sole focus, but it's just evolved naturally that way. My first opportunity after being released by Western Australia was to go play for Singapore. So, I went, did that, then came back and had an opportunity to get to the Hurricanes. So from there, the only thing I was going to do in playing professional cricket was play T20 cricket,” David said.

“So you focus on those skills and I've had some more opportunities come from there. So, it's just kind of evolved naturally."