Owen shines on debut as Australia secure winning start

Australia continued their dominant Caribbean tour with a thrilling three-wicket victory over West Indies in the first T20I at Jamaica, following their 3-0 sweep in the Test series. Debutant Mitchell Owen shone with a blazing 50 off 27 balls and a wicket to anchor Australia’s successful chase of 190, while Cameron Green chipped in with a fiery 51 off 26.

West Indies got off to a strong start after being put in to bat, with Brandon King and Shai Hope setting the tone early. The duo punished Australia’s bowlers with quick boundaries, reaching 56/1 in the PowerPlay. Despite Cooper Connolly removing King, Hope and Roston Chase kept the scoring rate brisk. Chase hit a 26-ball half-century before falling to Ben Dwarshuis, who proved instrumental in derailing West Indies' momentum.

Shimron Hetmyer joined the charge with aggressive strokes, and West Indies looked poised for a 200+ total. But Dwarshuis triggered a collapse in the 19th over, removing Andre Russell, Sherfane Rutherford, and Jason Holder in the space of four balls. Hetmyer fell in the final over to Nathan Ellis as the hosts finished on 189/8.

Australia’s reply began shakily with Jake Fraser-McGurk’s early dismissal. But the tide turned in the fifth and sixth overs, where Mitchell Marsh, Josh Inglis, and Cameron Green launched a counterattack, hammering Andre Russell and Alzarri Joseph for sixes.

Though Glenn Maxwell and Inglis fell in quick succession, Green and Owen built a match-defining partnership of 80 from just 40 balls. Owen’s fearless hitting, including three consecutive sixes off Akeal Hosein, kept Australia in control. Green reached his half-century before being dismissed the very next ball, and Owen soon followed after completing his dream fifty.

With just 10 runs required off the final 18 balls, Sean Abbott and Dwarshuis calmly wrapped up the chase in the penultimate over, securing a confident start to the T20I series for Australia.