Nerves with the ball, calm with the bat, Owen happy with dream debut

Mitchell Owen says he was more nervous with the ball than he was with the bat in his dream T20I debut against West Indies in Jamaica, revealing that his game plan in an unfamiliar role at No. 6 was no different to when he has dominated as a franchise opener.

Owen, 23, joined Ricky Ponting and David Warner as the third Australian man to score a half-century on T20I debut, clubbing 50 off 27 balls to help Australia to a three-wicket win over West Indies in the opening match of a five-game series at Sabina Park.

He earlier took his maiden T20I wicket in his first and only over, removing Shai Hope for 55 at a crucial moment in the innings which sparked a West Indies collapse of 6 for 30 that was critical in Australia's win.

Owen admitted he was very nervous in his first over, especially after Shimron Hetmyer launched his first ball for six.

"I thought I was on 36 off the over there when he smacked me for six first ball," Owen said after the match. "But I was lucky Shai hit one up the shoot and got my first wicket. I was pretty nervous running in those first six balls, but nice to get it out of the way."

Owen's innings with the bat was even more remarkable given it was his first half-century in T20 cricket batting in a middle-order position. He had earned his call-up to the Australia squad on the back of stunning returns as an opener in the most recent BBL where he made two centuries for Hobart Hurricanes. Prior to Sunday, in 16 career T20 innings batting from No. 3 to 8, he had scored just 174 runs at 14.50, with a strike-rate of 148.71 and a highest score of 34, and had only twice batted at No. 6.

Owen said he was unperturbed by starting against spin with five men on the rope.

"I honestly tried not to look at the field too much and just sort of react to each ball, which I think held me in good stead," he said. "Obviously, it's a little bit different, but I think my process, my game plan, wasn't too different to opening the batting coming in at six. We had to strike at 10s or nines when I came out. So I still had to be nice and positive. If I took my time to sort of try and get into innings, I feel like I sort of dig myself a hole. So, yeah, just try and get after them from ball one."

With captain Mitchell Marsh and Travis Head likely to be Australia's first-choice openers for T20 World Cup next year, and Matthew Short the first-choice back-up, the selectors were keen to trial Owen in the middle-order and will be delighted with the early returns.

His fearlessness against spin would have pleased them most given Australia's middle order has often been bogged down by left-arm spin and legspin through the middle stages in the past. Owen blasted three sixes in four balls off left-arm spinner Akeal Hosein in the 12th over. He also launched two sixes off Andre Russell and one off Alzarri Joseph.

Owen combined beautifully with new No. 4 Cameron Green, who himself worked two twos of Gudakesh Motie in the middle phase before smashing him for a six and a boundary to go with the four other sixes he hammered off Joseph and Jason Holder. The pair added 80 off 40 balls after coming together at 78 for 4 in the ninth over.

"It was a lot of fun," Owen said. "It's the first time I've been on the same side as Greeny. So it was nice to be out there with him and contribute to a pretty good partnership. We kept each other nice and calm and just stuck to our processes."

Ben Dwarshuis, who starred with the ball in Australia's win taking 4 for 36, told ESPN's Around the Wicket that Owen's batting is on a different planet at the moment.

"I've been on the receiving end of this bowling to him over the past nine months, and he's just in a different world at the moment," Dwarshuis said. "I think anything that's remotely missed the mark from a bowling point of view, he seems to clear the rope. You see zero fours and six sixes. I think that shows that he's ultra aggressive and if you miss your line and length, he's going to make you pay."

It capped a dream debut for Owen after he received his T20I cap from close friend and Hobart Hurricanes captain Nathan Ellis, with his parents and his partner at Sabina Park to watch it.

"Really special," Owen said. "He had some really nice words for me. I was obviously stoked to get the hat and stoked to have my parents over here. Obviously, it's a bit of a messed up travel getting to the West Indies, but yeah, they've sacrificed a lot my whole life, and this trip's only just another one. So super grateful that they got to experience that."