Mitchell Owen joins Warner, Ponting with dream debut as Australia beat West Indies in first T20I

Mitchell Owen made a memorable international debut, scoring a half-century and taking a wicket to lead Australia to a three-wicket win over the West Indies in the first T20 of the five-match series in Jamaica on Sunday.

Chasing a target of 190, Owen, who smashed 50 off 27 balls, played a key role in a match-winning 80-run partnership with Cameron Green, who smashed 51 off 26 balls. Australia reached the target with seven balls to spare.

Owen, a promising allrounder from Tasmania who impressed in the BBL with the Hobart Hurricanes, became just the third Australian - after David Warner and Ricky Ponting - to score a T20I half-century on debut. He also chipped in with a wicket, capping a stellar first outing.



"Firstly, happy we got the win - it was nice to contribute," Owen said. "Just nice to be mentioned with those class players."

West Indies had started strong after being sent in to bat, but a late collapse - losing four wickets for just five runs in the final nine balls - saw them finish at 189-8.


Ben Dwarshuis starred with a career-best 4-36, including a burst of three wickets in four deliveries during the penultimate over. He dismissed Roston Chase, who had top-scored with a blazing 60 off 32 balls, breaking a 91-run stand with Shai Hope (55).