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Australian head coach Andrew McDonald said that Australia's T20I specialist Tim David has not made himself available for ODIs, and he could play the role of a finisher at number seven for the 2027 ODI World Cup.
Since transitioning from Singapore cricket to Aussie cricket due to his upbringing in Australia after being born in Singapore, David has represented Australia in 57 T20Is, scoring 1,044 runs at an average of 30.70 and a strike rate of 174.00, with a century and five fifties and a best score of 102*. However, he has featured in just four ODIs leading up to the 2023 World Cup in India, scoring just 45 runs in four innings, with his best score of 35. Currently, Tim is enjoying a massively successful stint as a globe-trotting T20 hitter, with his current stop being India, where he is representing defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the ongoing season. In 13 innings, he has scored 277 runs at an average of 39.57 and a strike rate of over 197, with a fifty to his name and a best score of 70*. Australia's batting has a few holes leading up to the 2027 World Cup to be hosted in South Africa, Zimbabwe, with the retirements of Steve Smith, David Warner and all-rounders Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis, having retired from the format, in the case of Warner, from all formats of international cricket. Travis Head and Mitchell Marsh look locked as openers batters, with names like Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Cameron Green, Alex Carey and Matthew Renshaw in the mix for key middle-order roles. But in the absence of Maxwell and Stoinis, there is a lack of finishing firepower in the line-up. Selectors are also yet to convince David to bring his talent to ODIs, admitted McDonald. "It is something we are looking at (Tim's availability for ODIs)," McDonald said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo. "Tim has not made himself available for ODI cricket as yet in amongst everything that he's doing, but open-minded that potentially that is a conversation down the track." "TD (Tim) would need to obviously come to us around and signal his intention to play one-day international cricket. We used him in the build-up to the last World Cup." "TD was someone that we felt could potentially play in that finishing number-seven role. Will we be exposed there? Can Tim be a part of that conversation? Maybe. But ultimately, this stage he is not available," he concluded. In List-A cricket, Tim has made 790 runs in 18 innings and 20 matches at an average of 60.76 and a strike rate of 120.06, with two centuries and five fifties and a best score of 140*. (ANI)
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