Mitchell Owen calls dream Australia debut against West Indies really special
Typically an opener in franchise cricket, Owen looked composed and confident at No. 6, guiding Australia through a tricky phase in the chase. Even with five fielders patrolling the boundary against spin, the right-hander remained unfazed."I honestly tried not to look at the field too much and just sort of react to each ball, which I think held me in good stead," he said. "Obviously it's a little bit different, but my process and game plan weren't too far off from opening. We had to strike at 10s or nines when I came out, so I still had to be nice and positive. If I took time to try and get into the innings, I feel like I'd dig myself a hole. So yeah, just tried to get after them from ball one."Owen earned his Australia call-up after a stellar Big Bash League season with the Hobart Hurricanes, where he scored two centuries as an opener. But his record in the middle order had been patchy before his debut-just 174 runs in 16 T20 innings between No. 3 and No. 8, averaging 14.50. Now, though, the tide appears to be turning for the talented Tasmanian.With Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh expected to anchor the top order in the 2026 T20 World Cup, selectors were eager to test Owen's versatility down the order-and the early signs are promising.Capping off an emotional debut, Owen received his first international cap from close friend and Hurricanes skipper Nathan Ellis, with his parents and partner watching on from the stands."Really special. He had some really nice words for me-super grateful that they got to experience that," he said.- Ends
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
21 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Ben Stokes still facing heat from Australia over handshake-gate: ‘Everything's got to stop because England are done'
The final day of the fourth Test at Manchester between India and England continues to stir debate, not for the quality of cricket but for the drama in the final half-hour. While several former players have offered mixed views on the early handshake initiated by Ben Stokes and England, former Australian cricketer Brad Haddin has come out in strong support of the Indian team's decision to bat on. England's captain Ben Stokes (L) shakes hands with India's Ravindra Jadeja (R) for a draw on day five of the fourth cricket test match between England and India at Old Trafford(AFP) Appearing on LiSTNR Sport's YouTube channel, Haddin praised the grit and resistance shown by India's batters, particularly Shubman Gill and KL Rahul, who blunted England's attack after being two down for nothing. 'It's interesting at the end of that Test match because India were two for none. So England are up and about. They thought they were going to win the Test. And that was an unbelievable partnership. Gill once again, KL Rahul was outstanding. And as the game went on, and India showed tremendous fight, unbelievable, the application they showed to bat,' Haddin said. As the match headed into the final hour, with India clearly safe and both Washington Sundar and Ravindra Jadeja closing in on personal landmarks, England made the surprising call to end the match early. Haddin, however, found no fault in India's approach. 'Then, all of a sudden, it got to a situation where England said they can't win, so let's stop the game. So everything's got to stop because England are done playing. I like what India did, mate, they earned the right to stay out there as long as they need to. They had the right to get a hundred,' he added. The drama began when Ben Stokes approached the crease with an offer to shake hands and call the game a draw, but both Indian batters refused. With five overs left in the day, they chose to continue, chasing personal milestones. What followed was a verbal exchange between the England players and the Indian duo, but both Jadeja and Sundar went on to complete their centuries before eventually agreeing to the draw. Lloyd opposed India's decision Not everyone agreed with India's decision. Former England cricketer David Lloyd was particularly scathing. 'There's a facility to end the game. Take the bails off because it's a farce. Would you want to get your (100) if you're on 80, would you want to get your maiden Test match century against law books?' he said on The Overlap. 'I think the umpire, the game, there's a facility in the game to call a stalemate, of which Ben Stokes called the stalemate,' Lloyd added. But to many, including Haddin, India simply played within the rules and earned the right to stay.
Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
Jack Leach is England's 'best spinner': Nathan Lyon
Sydney: Australia's greatest off-spinner Nathan Lyon has backed Jack Leach as England's premier spinner, despite the recent rise of Shoaib Bashir, who is currently sidelined with injury and expected to feature in the 2025-26 Ashes tour. Speaking at a Cricket Australia sponsorship event here on Thursday, Lyon shared that former England pacer James Anderson told him Bashir had been chosen to emulate Lyon's success in Australian conditions. However, Lyon maintained that Leach remains England's best spin option. "I obviously played with Jimmy Anderson last year at Lancashire, and they basically said that they're picking Bashir to do what I do," Lyon said. "So I took a little bit of pride out of Jimmy respecting a little bit of what I've been able to do in my career. But Bashir has been okay. Jacob Bethell is playing this Test match (at The Oval against India), and he looks like he'll take up the spin bowling from Liam Dawson. But in my eyes, Jack Leach is still their best spinner." The 34-year-old hasn't featured for England since their tour of Pakistan last year, where he had a relatively modest series compared to Noman Ali and Sajid Khan, who helped spin Pakistan to victory in the final two Tests. Despite that, Leach's performance - 16 wickets at an average of 31.43 and a strike rate of 50.75 across three matches - was still significantly better than Bashir's nine wickets at an average of 49.55 and a strike rate of 79.44. Since then, England have backed Bashir as their primary spinner in their last three series - against New Zealand, Zimbabwe and India. However, after Bashir suffered a series-ending finger injury during the Lord's Test in the ongoing series against India, Liam Dawson was recalled for the fourth Test in Manchester, marking his first appearance in eight years. Dawson has now been left out for the fifth and final Test at The Oval, with England opting for four fast bowlers and using Jacob Bethell as a part-time left-arm spin option in his place. Leach claimed impressive figures of 6 for 63 in his most recent appearance for Somerset against Durham at Taunton - a match that lasted just two days and was described by Ian Botham as being played on an "appalling" pitch. This season, Leach is the fourth-highest wicket-taker and the leading spinner in Division One of the County Championship, with 39 wickets at an average of 24.76, including two six-wicket hauls. During the 2021–22 Ashes tour, Leach played three Tests in Australia, managing only six wickets at an average of 53.50. He was omitted from the final Test in Hobart, where England opted for four seamers in a pink-ball match. Notably, Australia's Nathan Lyon didn't bowl at all in that game, which ended in just three days with a home side victory. Bashir, meanwhile, was part of the England Lions squad that toured Australia earlier this year, playing three four-day matches against Cricket Australia XI and Australia A. None of these games were held at official Test venues. He returned match figures of 2 for 91 and 1 for 109 in two games against the CA XI in Brisbane. In the unofficial Test against Australia A at Cricket Central in Sydney - where the Lions lost by an innings - Bashir took 1 for 74 in the only innings he bowled. Interestingly, Lyon was left out of Australia's most recent Test, against West Indies in Jamaica, as selectors went with four pace bowlers for a pink-ball match that wrapped up in just two and a half days. Despite recent Australian pitches favouring seam, Lyon maintains that spinners will still have a role to play in future Ashes series at home. "It is a massive role, and it can be a massive challenge for people who haven't done it in the past in these conditions," Lyon said. "But I'm not going to let my secrets out so they come out and perform well out here. Our guys know how to play spin really well in this country. That's probably what helped me produce my skill to where it is at the moment. I know I'll keep trying getting better, and we'll see how their spinners go," he concluded.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Tennis roundup: Bouchard retires, Swiatek cruises, Osaka battles in Montreal; Fritz overcomes rain, Baena in Toronto
Eugenie Bouchard waves to the crowd following her retirement ceremony after her second round match at the National Bank Open in Montreal. (AP/PTI) Montreal: Wimbledon champion Iga Swiatek cruised, Naomi Osaka battled through and Canadian Eugenie Bouchard called time on her WTA career with a gutsy second-round loss in Montreal on Wednesday. Switzerland's Belinda Bencic sent Bouchard into retirement with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-4 victory -- but not before the Canadian thrilled her hometown fans by seizing an early break in the third set. Spectators were on their feet, trying to will Bouchard to another victory on the heels of her first-round triumph on Monday -- her first WTA win since 2023. But Bencic won five of the last six games to vanquish Bouchard, who had announced earlier in July she would retire after a final appearance in her home tournament. "I think it's so special to play my last match here in Montreal on this court in front of you guys," a teary Bouchard said as she was honoured on court after the match. "I remember being a little kid sitting in these stands, hoping and dreaming that I would play on this court one day. "I grew up playing on these courts, and courts all around Montreal and near here, so it feels like such a full circle moment to finish my career here." by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 5 Books Warren Buffett Wants You to Read In 2025 Blinkist: Warren Buffett's Reading List Undo Eugenie Bouchard reacts during her retirement ceremony following second round tennis at the National Bank Open in Montreal. (The Canadian Press via AP) Bouchard, who rose as high as fifth in the world rankings, shot to prominence in 2014 when she reached the Wimbledon final and made semi-final runs at the Australian and French Opens. But her career was hindered by injuries, including a concussion suffered in a locker room slip at the 2015 US Open and a shoulder injury that required surgery in 2021. Swiatek sails through There was no drama for Poland's Swiatek, who breezed past Chinese qualifier Guo Hanyu 6-3, 6-1 in her first match since her crushing victory over Amanda Anisimova in the Wimbledon final. Swiatek, seeded second, broke Guo's serve six times to book her spot in the third round. It was much harder going for Japan's four-time Grand Slam champion Osaka, who saved two match points in a 4-6, 7-6 (8/6) 6-3 triumph over Liudmila Samsonova. Osaka, now working with Tomasz Wiktorowski after announcing on Monday she had split with coach Patrick Mouratoglou, surrendered early breaks in each of the first two sets. Wimbledon quarter-finalist Samsonova served for the match at 5-4 in the second and led 40-15. The Russian fired a forehand long on her first match point and on her second a lackluster drop shot effort gave Osaka an opening and the Japanese star pounced. Samsonova's double fault on break point allowed Osaka to level the set, and after storming back from 5-2 down in the tiebreaker to force a third set Osaka took control early, breaking Samsonova twice on the way to a 4-1 lead. "She definitely came out really hard and, for me, I was definitely overwhelmed and I didn't know if I should also be hitting winners," Osaka said. "After a while I just tried to keep the ball in court." Jessica Pegula, the two-time defending champion and third seed, saved five set points in the opening set on the way to a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Maria Sakkari of Greece. Australian Open champion Madison Keys, the sixth seed, opened her campaign with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Laura Siegemund, avenging a third-round loss to the German at Wimbledon. Fritz beats rain, Carballes Baena, to advance in Toronto Taylor Fritz hits a backhand to Roberto Carballes Baena during their tennis match at the National Bank Open in Toronto. (The Canadian Press via AP) Toronto: Second-seeded Taylor Fritz struggled with three rain delays and a stubborn Spanish opponent on Wednesday, pulling out a tight 7-5, 7-6 (7/1) win over Roberto Carballes Baena at the ATP Toronto Masters. The second-round match was halted repeatedly by light rain, with the final 18-minute pause coming just as the second-set tiebreaker was about to start. But Fritz, winner of Stuttgart and Eastbourne titles this season, quickly sprinted to victory before heavier rains were expected to set in. The American was far from pleased with a win which was marred by 45 unforced errors and confessed that he has not yet felt on his game in Canada. "Even in practice I'm having a hard time putting the ball into the court," he said. "But I'm happy to get through this one. "Everything is not feeling great, it's tough to control the ball. "Since I've been here it's been absolutely brutal. But I have another match to figure it out and hopefully I can play myself into the tournament." Fritz's fourth-seeded compatriot Ben Shelton had no complaints after earning his first career win over gritty Frenchman Adrian Mannarino 6-2, 6-3. Shelton had dropped two prior meetings with 37-year-old qualifier Mannarino but said he was able to vary his serve to get over the line this time. "This win was huge for me. He's a shotmaker, he can take the racquet out of your hands," Shelton said. "I've played well against him in the past and come up short, he can make things really difficult." - Tiafoe hangs on - American Frances Tiafoe squeezed out a win after more than two and a quarter hours against Japan's Yosuke Watanuki, hailing his opponent's fighting spirit after a 1-6, 7-5, 7-6 (7/5) triumph. "He can hit a winner on any shot," Tiafoe said. "I needed some luck in those last two sets to win." Tiafoe managed just 19 winners to the 45 of his 158th-ranked foe, but now lines up against Australian Alexsandar Vukic, who defeated Briton Cam Norrie 6-3, 6-7 (2/7), 6-3. Andrey Rublev, runner-up in Canada a year ago to Alexei Popyrin, won his 250th career match on hardcourt as he beat France's Hugo Gaston 6-2, 6-3. The sixth seed needed four match points to advance after 86 minutes and now plays Italian Lorenzo Sonego, a 6-1, 6-4 winner over China's Bu Yunchaokete. Wimbledon quarter-finalist Flavio Cobolli of Italy delivered four aces in the final game of a rain-interrupted match to clinch a 6-4, 5-7, 6-4 victory over Canadian Alexis Galarneau. But Canadian Gabriel Diallo came out on top against his Italian opponent, beating Matteo Gigante 6-3, 7-6 (7/5) to next face Fritz. Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime suffered another early disappointment, losing his opening match in his home Masters for a third straight year as he fell to Fabian Marozsan 6-4, 6-4. Former top 10 ranking regular Stefanos Tsitsipas, now 30th in the world, continued a downward slide with a 6-4. 4-6, 6-2 loss to Australian Christopher O'Connell. Alex de Minaur, winner in Washington on Sunday, defeated Francisco Comesana 6-4, 6-2. "It was not pretty by any means," Australia's de Minaur said. "The wind and rain made it quite tough. I'm happy I was engaged and focused from the first point to the last. "Backing up a good week is the toughest ask in tennis. You don't have a lot of time to enjoy the moment after a week of emotional highs. "You have to find a way to re-set and do it all over again." Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
