Australian debutant Mitchell Owen delivered a stunning all-round display in his first T20 International, guiding his team to a thrilling three-wicket win over the West Indies at Kingston Stadium, Jamaica, on Sunday. The 23-year-old scored a rapid 50 and claimed a key wicket, helping Australia chase down the target with seven balls to spare.Owen made an immediate impact with the ball, conceding just 14 runs and dismissing West Indies captain Shai Hope, who had earlier anchored the innings with a 55 off 39 deliveries.Walking in to bat at No. 6 with Australia in trouble at 78 for 4 in the 9th over, Owen turned the game around with a blistering 80-run partnership off just 40 balls alongside Cameron Green. Owen brought up his half-century in just 27 balls before falling to Alzarri Joseph, while Green smashed 51 off 26 before being dismissed by Gudakesh Motie.Owen’s debut performance etched his name into the record books:He became the first player in T20I history to score a fifty and take a wicket on debut against a full-member nation, breaking a 16-year-old record held by South Africa’s Rassie van der Dussen.
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He joins Ireland’s Simi Singh as only the second cricketer from a full-member side to achieve this double on debut. Singh had scored 57 and taken three wickets against the Netherlands in 2018.Owen is also just the second player to hit a half-century from No. 6 or lower on debut against a full-member nation, after England’s Phil Salt, who scored 57 off 24 against the West Indies in 2022.He now stands alongside Ricky Ponting and David Warner as only the third Australian to notch a fifty on T20I debut.
Owen’s rise comes on the back of a stellar Big Bash League 2024-25 season, where he was instrumental in Hobart Hurricanes’ title win — scoring 452 runs and taking six wickets across 11 matches, including a match-winning century in the final.His talent also earned him a mid-season IPL contract with Punjab Kings as a replacement for Glenn Maxwell, making one appearance during the 2025 season.Overall, Owen becomes just the 20th player globally — including associate nations — to achieve the rare feat of scoring a fifty and taking a wicket in their T20I debut.A dream debut — and perhaps the start of something big for Australian cricket.
