Globetrotting T20 star to make his World Cup case

Tim David has hardly slept in his own bed over the past 18 months but, far from growing jaded, the highly coveted power hitter hopes he can be the perfect addition for Australia's defence of their World Cup crown. 

The country's most emblematic cricketer of the rapidly changing power dynamic in the game, David is eyeing a home international debut this week in a two-match T20I series against West Indies in Queensland.

Since making a long-awaited maiden appearance in Australian gold in India last month, the 26-year-old spent a couple of days at home in Perth, a simple pleasure he has enjoyed only sparingly in recent times.

He puts the number of days spent there at about a fortnight spread piecemeal over the past 18 months.

Yet his desire for quick runs remains unaffected and the right-hander may very well prove a crucial added ingredient to Australia's proven T20 formula.

It is difficult to recall a more assured and highly credentialled entrant into the Australian T20 team than David, whose cascading international reputation was enhanced by his strong debut campaign with the national side.

"Initially, like maybe the first game, there were a couple of nerves there," he told reporters at the Gold Coast's Metricon Stadium on Monday.

"But once you get into the thick of the action, it just feels like another game.

"I'm really fortunate – I've played in a lot of leagues now, so I've been exposed to a lot of the guys we're playing, and you just get into your work.

"It's a really similar role.

"That's why I've been added to the squad – what I've been doing is what I'm going to be trying to do for the Australian team if I get the chance."

David must now make his case for a permanent middle-order berth for the upcoming T20 World Cup on home soil, possibly at the expense of star bat Steve Smith.

Marcus Stoinis' absence until Sunday's first T20I against England in Perth at the earliest means the pair could play together for now, but the squeeze is likely to come when everyone is available.

Against world No.1 ranked India last month, David managed scores of 18 and two before bludgeoning a 25-ball half-century in Hyderabad to build his case to feature in the XI for Aussies' T20 title defence. 

That knock, the kind of late-innings flourish that had been desperately lacking in the years before Australia's breakthrough Cup triumph in the UAE last year, surprised few given David's standing as one of the game's most dynamic middle-order blasters.

And it was especially unsurprising for the local audience given he had been bought by storied IPL franchise Mumbai Indians for $A1.53m in the auction earlier this year, comfortably more than any other Australian.

"It's nice to start off well in a new team," David said of his first innings of note for Australia. "It's nice to feel like I've landed on my feet.

"Just being around a lot of the guys that you're playing against or playing with (before), so it doesn't feel like a massive step up."

David's path to the national set-up has been unique, with David Warner's early days marking the closest comparison among his new teammates.

Yet while Warner had also gotten his first international opportunity without having played a first-class game (David does not even have a state contract), the opener had shown his rare power and skill in domestic cricket in Australia.

By contrast, the Big Bash has only been one part – albeit an influential one, particularly the Hobart Hurricanes' faith in him as a specialist finisher – of the road that has brought David here.

"It's a tough one because you're by yourself, there isn't a lot of support a lot of the time," said David, who has already chalked up 130 T20 matches including 14 for his birth country Singapore.

"There's a lot of opportunities out there now in cricket and I think there's different ways of going about it."

A product of Perth's Scotch College, Western Australia and the Perth Scorchers, David lost his state rookie contract in 2018 and got his first major opportunities abroad through a series of ICC tournaments for associate nations.

But he outgrew Singapore and was a revelation in BBL|10, sparking swelling demand for his services from teams around the world and culminating in his IPL windfall and Australia selection this year.

"When I was younger and I got released from the state system, I probably had to find a different way," said David.

"I've been really fortunate, to have opportunities and make the most of those opportunities. So to end up here in the in the squad for a home World Cup is really exciting.

"I didn't really set that out as a goal to be here (for a World Cup) … but to be in the group and try to add something to the team is really exciting."

Men's Dettol T20I Series v West Indies

Australia squad: Aaron Finch (c), Sean Abbott, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Daniel Sams, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa

Wednesday Oct 5: Metricon Stadium, Gold Coast, 6:10pm

Friday Oct 7: The Gabba, Brisbane, 6:10pm

Buy #AUSvWI T20 tickets here