Owen’s Sensational Debut Powers Australia to Winning Start in T20I Series

Mitchell Owen’s explosive debut and Cameron Green’s power-hitting help Australia chase down 190 with ease in the 1st T20I against the West Indies.

Australia Clinches T20 Series Opener vs West Indies: Dream Debut for Owen Seals the Win

After a dominant 3-0 clean sweep in the Test series, Australia has kicked off the T20I leg with another strong statement. In the first T20I held in Jamaica, Australia edged past West Indies by 3 wickets, thanks to a dream debut innings from Mitchell Owen (50 off 27) and a blazing knock by Cameron Green (51 off 26). Chasing a target of 190, the Aussies wrapped up the match in just 18.5 overs.

West Indies’ Quick Start Fizzles Out Late

Batting first, West Indies came out firing. Brandon King and Shai Hope smashed two boundaries each in the first three overs. Although King fell for 18 to Cooper Connolly, Hope and Roston Chase kept the scoreboard ticking, pushing the total to 56/1 by the end of the powerplay.

Chase played aggressively and notched up a half-century off just 26 balls. However, his dismissal in the 13th over by Ben Dwarshuis shifted the momentum. Shimron Hetmyer kept the pace up, but after reaching 183/4 in 18 overs, the Windies collapsed in the final two overs—scoring only 6 more runs and ending at 189/8. Dwarshuis was the game-changer with 4 key wickets.

Australia Stumbles Early, But Owen and Green Take Charge

Australia’s chase had a shaky start with early wickets, but Mitch Marsh and Josh Inglis brought some stability. Then came the game-turning partnership—Mitchell Owen and Cameron Green added 80 runs off just 40 balls.

Owen, on debut, launched a brutal assault, including three sixes in a single over from Akeal Hosein—one of which sailed out of the stadium. Green, equally aggressive, completed his half-century in just 25 balls.

Tense Finish, Calm Execution

Despite both Owen and Green falling before the finish, Australia held their nerve. Cooper Connolly, Sean Abbott, and Ben Dwarshuis kept the chase on track and sealed the win with 7 balls to spare.

Match Summary

West Indies: 189/8 (Roston Chase 60, Shai Hope 55; Ben Dwarshuis 4/36)
Australia: 190/7 in 18.5 overs (Cameron Green 51, Mitchell Owen 50; Gudakesh Motie 2/29)
Result: Australia won by 3 wickets and leads the series 1–0.