
Coaches trust Australia hitters: David
David produced a sparkling 83 off 53 balls to guide Australia to a 17-run win in the series-opener against South Africa on Sunday and a record ninth victory in succession.
"We've been playing together as a group now for a while, so there's not a great deal of instruction from the coaches," said player-of-the-match David in Darwin.
"They trust the players.
"We trust ourselves to go out there and we understand the game situation. We make decisions on the fly because that's the nature of T20 cricket.
"I think if you'd watched our guys bat over the last period, wherever they bat around the world and when they play for the Australian team, it's close to all guns blazing.
"You can probably expect to see that a little bit from our team. That's how we think we play best."
David has been in top form, racking up 215 runs in his past three T20I innings, which includes a 37-ball century against the West Indies in St Kitts last month.
His hot streak has revived queries on whether he might consider reviving an ODI career that lasted only four matches against South Africa in 2023.
However, David was not included in the ODI squad for South Africa and poured cold water on the idea of a return in the near future.
"That's not part of the plan for me," David said.
"To be honest, the things I've been building towards is the T20 World Cup next year and the major tournaments that are leading up to that.
"Honestly, I don't operate much further than the next day ahead."
Australia will look to seal the three-match T20 series against South Africa with another win in Darwin on Tuesday.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Express Tribune
20 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Three Australia players ruled out of South Africa series
Australia has been forced into a trio of late changes ahead of the upcoming ODI series against South Africa, with Mitchell Owen, Lance Morris, and Matt Short all ruled out due to injury concerns. Replacements Aaron Hardie, Cooper Connolly, and Matt Kuhnemann have been drafted into the squad. Mitchell Owen has been ruled out of both the decisive third T20I and the subsequent ODI series after suffering a concussion. He was struck on the helmet by a sharp bouncer from Kagiso Rabada in the second T20I in Darwin. Although he passed an on-field concussion assessment, Owen later reported delayed symptoms following his dismissal and will now undergo the mandatory 12-day stand-down period, ruling him out of a potential ODI debut. Fast bowler Lance Morris has also been sidelined after experiencing back soreness during training. The injury is a worrying setback for Morris, who has a history of back issues. He has returned to Perth for further evaluation, casting doubt over his availability for the upcoming Australia A four-day tour of India. Allrounder Matt Short, who was initially ruled out of the first two T20Is due to a side strain sustained in the West Indies, has now been ruled out of the entire South Africa series. It marks another frustrating interruption to Short's international career, having also missed part of the Champions Trophy earlier this year with a quad injury. South Africa leveled the T20I series with a commanding 53-run win on Tuesday, setting up a series decider in Cairns on Saturday. The same city will host the first ODI on August 19, followed by matches in Mackay on August 22 and 24. Hardie, who had already joined the T20I squad as cover for Short, now stays on for the ODI leg. Left-arm spinner Matt Kuhnemann, who last played ODIs in 2022, returns and could feature in a spin-heavy attack alongside Adam Zampa. Cooper Connolly, a left-handed batter and left-arm spinner, joins the squad after making his international debut during the Champions Trophy semi-final against India earlier this year. Meanwhile, Josh Inglis missed the second T20I with flu-like symptoms. Alex Carey was called in as cover and made his first T20I appearance since 2021. Updated Australia ODI Squad: Mitchell Marsh (capt), Xavier Bartlett, Alex Carey, Cooper Connolly, Ben Dwarshuis, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matt Kuhnemann, Marnus Labuschagne, Adam Zampa.


Express Tribune
20 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Maxwell ready for added responsibility
Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell is prepared to take on added responsibility as the team ramps up preparations for next year's ICC Men's T20 World Cup. With the tournament set to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, Maxwell has been focusing on improving his bowling inside the Powerplay to make the most of sub-continental conditions. "I think in the sub-continent you might be able to get a little bit more out of it as a spinner early on. Especially that new ball, the hard seam, being able to grip on those dry surfaces," Maxwell told reporters in Cairns ahead of the third T20I against South Africa. "So it might be something we think about heading forward," he added. The 36-year-old has experience bowling in the Powerplay, most notably during the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023 final, where he dismissed Rohit Sharma to help set the stage for Australia's record sixth title. In the current T20I series against the Proteas, Maxwell has bowled two overs in the Powerplay, making a big impact in the second match with two crucial wickets - including that of South Africa captain Aiden Markram. "I'm just as surprised as anyone when I get a wicket. I love getting wickets," he said. "It's very surprising anytime I get anyone out. I'm there to do a job in the Powerplay and I'm trying to execute that as well as I can." The right-handed batter also spoke about his flexible batting role, having batted at No.5 in the second T20I after coming in at No.7 in the first. This follows a stint as an opener in four of the five T20Is against the West Indies. "I've been a bit of a shuffler around the order, up and down. I'm filling holes at the moment," Maxwell explained. "Even during the West Indies series, I went up the order to counter Akeal Hosein; in this series, I've gone lower to manage the back end of the innings. I'm just trying to play whatever role is needed and be as adaptable as possible."With the series level at 1-1, Australia and South Africa will meet in the decider on August 16.


Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Express Tribune
Pak bowlers climb in ICC rankings
Pakistan's bowlers have made notable gains in the latest ICC T20I rankings, while the nation's batters have experienced a decline. Pace spearhead Haris Rauf jumped two places to 24th with 575 points, alongside Abbas Afridi, who climbed one spot to 26th with 572 points. Spinner Sufiyan Muqeem and left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi also improved, moving up to 33rd and 34th with 542 and 541 points, respectively. However, the spin duo of Mohammad Nawaz and Abrar Ahmed saw a drop, falling two and one place to 58th and 61st, while Shadab Khan slipped one spot to 73rd. At the top of the rankings, New Zealand's Jacob Duffy remains the number one T20I bowler, followed by England's Adil Rashid in second and West Indies' Akeal Hosein in third. On the batting front, Pakistan's stars Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, who have been out of T20I action since 2024, dropped one spot each to 18th and 20th. Middle-order batter Hassan Nawaz fell two places to 32nd, while Saim Ayub slipped to 38th with 559 points. Other notable drops include opener Sahibzada Farhan, who slid to 64th, T20I captain Salman Ali Agha, down to 77th, left-handed batter Fakhar Zaman at 79th, and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Haris, who fell two places to 88th. India's Abhishek Sharma continues to lead the T20I batting rankings. Changes in the second and third positions saw Australia's Travis Head drop two places to fourth, making way for India's Tilak Varma to rise to second and England's Phil Salt to secure third. Babar slips again Pakistan's top-order batter Babar Azam has dropped further in the latest ICC ODI rankings following a disappointing performance in the recent series against the West Indies, scoring just 56 runs across three matches at an average of 18.66. Babar, who previously held the second spot, has slipped to third with 751 rating points. He has been overtaken by India's ODI captain Rohit Sharma, while teammate Shubman Gill retains the number one position in the world rankings. Among other Pakistani players, ODI captain Mohammad Rizwan has also dropped one place, moving from 21st to 22nd with 602 points. Opening batter Fakhar Zaman, who missed the West Indies ODIs due to injury, fell four places to 27th with 590 points. Imam-ul-Haq and Agha Salman also saw their rankings decline, slipping to 37th and 41st respectively. Saim Ayub suffered the biggest drop among Pakistan's batters, falling nine places to 46th. Meanwhile, opening batter Abdullah Shafique improved, climbing seven places to reach 90th spot with 428 points. In the ICC ODI bowlers' rankings, left-arm pacer Shaheen Afridi dropped one place to 13th with 599 points after taking just four wickets in three matches. Haris Rauf fell three places to 27th, while Naseem Shah dropped one step to 43rd with 493 points. Spinner Abrar Ahmed climbed three places to 54th, Mohammad Nawaz retained his 64th position, and Mohammad Wasim Jr fell four places to 71st. Sri Lanka's Maheesh Theekshana continues to dominate as the world's number one ODI bowler, followed by India's Kuldeep Yadav at second, and South Africa's Keshav Maharaj in third.