Last Updated on 3 years by Charbel Coorey

Cricket News: Can Australia select Tim David in their T20 World Cup squad? | Will Australia pick Tim David for the 2022 T20 World Cup?

Finishing is considered as the toughest job in cricket. But, there’s one player who has made finishing look easy and has earned the tag of the Best Finisher in T20 Cricket among a current lot of players.

Tim David.

Why is Finishing a tough art in T20 Cricket?

It has been proven time and again that playing the finisher role is as tough as it gets. Evaluating the impact of finishers is not a straightforward job. Volatility is inherent in the role, unlike openers, who face the same situation when they walk out to bat.

Conversely, finishers can be tasked with reconstructing an innings after an early collapse, hauling a team towards a target at the death, or hitting out from the first ball they face. The role requires batters to play selflessly, generally playing aggressively from the outset for the team’s benefit.

In T20 leagues around the world, as well as for Singapore in international cricket, the 26-year-old Tim David has demonstrated his power-hitting abilities. Because he has played for Singapore, David has played only 14 T20Is in his international career, which is far too low for a player of his talent.

Is Tim David eligible to play for Australia in the T20 World Cup?

Tim David has dual nationality of both Singapore and Australia. There are talks that he should be included in Australia’s squad for the 2022 T20 World Cup. Australia’s World Cup-winning skipper Aaron Finch and wicketkeeper batter Matthew Wade are in support of David’s inclusion in the Australian team, even though the 26-year-old is yet to represent Australia at the highest level.

Does Australia need Tim David in their playing XI?

To find out the answer to the question in detail, let’s get into some statistical data. Since 2020, Australia has had the third-worst scoring rate among the top ten playing nations – 125.53. They’re above only Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

Adding to that, Australian batting has the third-worst average as well – 22.71. In the last two years, the Aussies have scored at a run rate of 7.98. They have the fourth-worst rate of 7.98 in the powerplay overs, which goes down to 7.61 in the middle and then 9.18 at the death.

In the same time period, the Singapore-born cricketer has scored the most number of runs for any player in the T20 format as a finisher since 2021. Tim David has scored 219 runs in the middle overs at a strike rate of 150 while averaging 73 and in the last six overs, David has a strike rate of 188 and average of 30.39 after facing 660 balls.

The numbers well and truly support the inclusion of the ‘Tim David’ factor in the Australian team.

Where will Australia fit David in their playing XI?

With Finch being the captain and Warner being the man of the tournament of the last World Cup, there’s no question about who’s going to open the innings for Australia in the T20 World Cup 2022.

Giving emphasis on the current form, no one else but Australia’s stalwart Steve Smith has to make way for Tim David as he’s been struggling to find his mojo in T20 Cricket. Supporting this statement is a fact that Smith hasn’t scored a fifty in T20Is since the start of 2020. David should be used as a floater in the playing eleven and he’ll bat around the likes of other power hitters like Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, and Matthew Wade. Since 2020, while batting at number five and number six, David has scored 1422 runs at a strike rate close to 165.

Smith was given license to move away from the ‘anchor’ role in the Sri Lanka series, but his position remains under the most threat. In IPL 2022, David smashed 186 runs at a blistering strike rate of 216.28 in eight matches for Mumbai Indians.

What’s stopping Australia to get David in the team?

Cricket Australia (CA) contract norms suggest that if a player is not contracted with a first-class state team then he cannot represent Australia at the highest level. Unfortunately, David doesn’t have that contract and management will have to find a way to fast-track David into the national team like the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) did with Jofra Archer prior to the 2019 ODI World Cup.

Australia have lots of bases covered before the World Cup; a strong and reliable top order, quality spinners, and fast bowlers. But if they really need to bolster their chances of reclaiming the title then they’ll need to find a way to get in the power-hitting sensation in their playing XI.

(Stats Updates before the start of Australia vs Sri Lanka T20I series)