'No doubt' David will play for Australia: Wade

Global T20 sensation Tim David's Australian debut is inevitable, it's just a matter of when says his Hobart Hurricanes teammate and new Indian Premier League champion Matthew Wade.

Despite setting the domestic T20 circuit alight of late with strike rates of 216 for Mumbai Indians in the IPL and an even better one of 220 in Lancashire's opening two games of England's T20 Blast, the middle-order power-hitter is yet to play for Australia.

David was not included in Australia's T20 squad to face Sri Lanka away next week and will continue to turn out for Lancashire where he has started the season with knocks of 35 (18) and 60 (25).

The 26-year-old Singapore-born Australian blaster also missed the home series again Sri Lanka in February and instead played for Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League where he smashed 278 runs at a strike rate of 194 in 11 matches.

And while time is running out to blood David in a settled Australian line-up ahead of the home T20 World Cup later this year, the form of Mumbai's $1.5m recruit since his recall midway through the IPL season has certainly attracted the attention of national skipper Aaron Finch.

Finch said there were still "some options" to get David into the team before the World Cup even if it won't be in Sri Lanka.

Image Id: 767853157C9F4BBBBABFE01B43D7A786 Image Caption: David bats for Lancashire Lightning during his 35 against Yorkshire on Friday // Getty

Australia's next scheduled T20 assignment following the Sri Lankan tour is a two-match series against the West Indies on the Gold Coast in early October and a three-match series against England at the Gabba and Canberra before Finch's side start their World Cup defence at the SCG on October 22.

A three-match T20 series in India in September is also on the cards but the dates are yet to be confirmed.

"He's been in fantastic form for a while now, the back end of the IPL was fantastic for him, it was at his brutal best," Finch said on Monday.

"The ability to hit from ball one is a pretty rare skill and he's done that plenty of times now.

"For him to keep being so consistent that's something that we'll definitely look at over the next little while."

After the T20 Blast, David will play for Southern Brave in England's Hundred ball competition that runs from August 4 to September 4.

Wade told cricket.com.au that David has got the "potential to be anything".

"He's got as much power as any player in the world, and I was really happy for the way he finished the (IPL) tournament," Australia's T20 wicketkeeper said.

"He kind of disappeared out of the team after two games, which was a bit of a mystery and then found his way back in."

Mumbai dropped David after their opening two games following scores of 12 and one in favour of South African Dewald Brevis, who has been coined a 'mini AB de Villiers'.

But after Mumbai went winless in their first eight games – the worst start to an IPL season in history – David was recalled, finishing the tournament with 186 runs at 37 from eight matches as his side won four of their last six games.

David's tournament strike rate of 216 was the highest of any batter in a single IPL season to have faced more than 50 balls.

"Whether it's this World Cup or the next one, he's still got plenty of time," Wade said of David.

"He's going to play some cricket for Australia, there's no doubt about that.

"He's such a young player in terms of games played. Three years ago, he wasn't even on a contracted list anywhere … when he came to the Hurricanes, he had no deal at all."

But he said it was hard to squeeze players into the world champions' line-up at the moment with Wade himself keeping West Australian wicketkeeper-batter Josh Inglis out of the side, while the batting order also boasts some of the best players on the planet in David Warner, Steve Smith, Mitch Marsh, Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis.

"Tim, Riley Meredith, Ben McDermott, Daniel Sams has put his hand up as well, there's plenty of guys that could make an impact in that team if they get the opportunity," Wade said.

"And there's some terrific players in front of them at the moment as well."

Wade also revealed he had spoken to his Hurricanes teammate McDermott the day he went unsold at the IPL auction despite being named KFC BBL|11 Player of the Tournament for his 577 runs at a strike rate of 153, which included back-to-back centuries.

"He knows where he's at, he understands what's happening and I can speak from experience – 11 years it took me to get back and get another (IPL) opportunity," Wade said.

"To Ben's credit, he's gone to England this year, he went to Pakistan and did really well there for Australia, so you can only keep chucking performances on the board and he'll get an opportunity.

"I texted him while I've been here saying he'll get a chance at this level and he's good enough to play at this level.

"But like me a little bit, I think Ben over the next four to five years, he can become that multi-positioned player.

"He's a really good opening batter but he's batted three in one-day cricket for Australia now, he's finished BBL games for the Hurricanes as well, so he's one that should definitely not pigeonhole himself as an opening batter.

"He's got the potential to bat six all the way up to one and when you've got the skills to do that, you'll get the opportunity at some stage."

Australians in 2022 English T20 Blast

Birmingham: Nathan McAndrew

Derbyshire: Hayden Kerr

Durham: Ashton Turner

Essex: Daniel Sams

Glamorgan: Marnus Labuschagne, Michael Neser

Gloucestershire: Marcus Harris

Hampshire: Nathan Ellis, Ben McDermott

Lancashire: Tim David

Middlesex: Jason Behrendorff, Chris Green

Northamptonshire: Matthew Kelly, Chris Lynn

Nottinghamshire: Dan Christian, James Pattinson

Somerset: Peter Siddle

Sussex: Josh Philippe