High, high Mitchell Owen makes dream debut – but Cameron Green catches the eye

Mitch Owen had a great first match, but Cam Green had a blinder in Australia’s T20 victory over the West Indies.

Cameron Green of Australia celebrates his half century during the first T20I between West Indies and Australia in Jamaica, on Sunday. Picture: AFP

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International T20 is basically a meaningless sideshow that nevertheless allows a mega-talented bloke like Cam Green to spread his wings and have a slog and take AFL-style leaping catches while free of the pomp, ceremony, prestige and pressure of the only format that will truly define his ­career.

And it allows an opportunistic and formerly anonymous young fellow like Mitchell Owen the chance to earn a national cap against West Indies and deploy the long handle alongside Green in a vigorous, matchwinning partnership highlighted by umpteen monstrous sixes that travelled so far they might have landed in Michael Holding’s backyard in Kingston, Jamaica.

Tests create cricketing legacies. Tests are remembered. Test numbers are what we rattle off. The proof of Shane Warne’s greatness? His 708 Test wickets. His ODI and T20 numbers are never mentioned. Evidence of Ricky Ponting’s longevity and class? His 168 Tests, and 13,378 runs at 51.85, and his 41 centuries, all of which dwarf his booming ODI World Cup ­contributions.

Mitch Owen, left, and Green after chalking up their 50-run partnership in Australia’s victory chase against the West Indies in Kingston. Picture: AFP

The 26-year-old Green has prodigious talent with bat, ball and in the field, where he catches the eye as often as nicks and nudges flying to gully, and it’s his progress in Tests alone that will determine his worth. White balls are only good for hit-and-giggle and snooker tables.

Australia’s three-wicket win at Sabina Park in the first of five T20s came thanks to Green (51 off 26 bruised deliveries) and debutant Owen (50 from 27 battered deliveries) combining for a bruising, battering, 40-ball, 80-run partnership like they were part of Murderers’ Row for the New York Yankees in the 1920s.

Owen joined diamond Dave Warner and Ponting as the only Australians to make half-centuries on debut – a remarkable stat given every man and his dog in Australian cricket gets a national T20 cap at some stage.

Chasing 8-189, Australia cracked 17 sixes to silence the crowd’s bongo drums, whistles and conch shell horns to reach 7-190 with seven balls to spare. Owen was named man of the match and confirmed his approach was to try to hit every ball for six, and if that failed try for a five, and if that failed go for a four, and if that failed attempt a three, and if that failed nudge a two, and if that failed bunt a single, and over his dead body would he plan to face a dot ball.

“It was great to bat with Greeny,” he said. “It’s the first time I’ve experienced that. He kept me nice and calm and kept me sticking to my processes. Hopefully we can do it a lot more. I just went out there and tried to hit a six first and then work my way down. I just swing hard.”

The Windies embarked on a flyer against Australia’s understrength attack. Ben Dwarshuis is a decent mollydooker but he’s no Mitchell Starc. Sean Abbott is a decent trundler but he’s no Josh Hazlewood. Nathan Ellis has some zip and a cute slower ball but he’s no Pat Cummins. Adam Zampa and Cooper Connolly are decent purveyors of spin but they’re no Nathan Lyon. The Windies initially batted with their old calypso spirit before falling in a heap, to the tune of 6-35 in their last five overs, as Dwarshuis finished with 4-36.

Glenn Maxwell takes a catch to dismiss the West Indies’ Roston Chase at Sabina Park. Picture: AFP

Green took the catch of the evening. Riding the boundary at long-off, he leapt like Chris Judd in an Eagles jersey, took a clean overhead offering, kept running, giggled a bit and kicked the white Dukes ball like it was a yellow Sherrin. It was the kind of moment in T20 that makes you realise how gifted some of these flannelled fools really are. Then Green honked and tonked a half-century that was nearly comical for how effortlessly he lifted balls onto the roof of the Kingston Cricket Club.

Owen sends another ball to the heavens at Sabina Park. Picture: AFP

Owen smote deliveries like he was kicking high, high Garryowens in Test rugby. No dwarf at 194cm, he helped Green rescue Australia from the perils of 4-78 after young opener Jake Fraser-McGurk again came down with a case of the Sam Konstases.

Given another chance in the side, he did everything he could to bat his way out of it, falling for two from seven balls he neither battered nor bruised.

Owen had taken 1-14 from one over of the Windies’ innings. In the silliness of T20, that was such a mighty spell he might have raised the ball to acknowledge the dressing room. The first scoring shot from his bowling was a six. His first scoring shot with the ­willow was a six.

“I’m firstly happy we got the win and yeah, it was nice to contribute,” the Tasmanian all-rounder said. “Those two great names (Warner and Ponting), it’s great to join those two. I’ve just been trying to play positive over the last six to eight months and today wasn’t any different. Go out there and try to put pressure on the bowlers. I was lucky enough to get a few away early and I could settle into my innings.”

Australian captain Mitchell Marsh cracks a six. Picture: AFP

Green, 26, was compelling. Every step of his development is noteworthy. He’s the central figure in the next decade of Australian cricket. Contracted to Western Australia as a schoolboy, he grew into a 198cm all-rounder boasting powerhouse batting and fast-medium bowling. Great hands in the cordon or on the rope. He was brilliant at Sabina Park but this summer’s Ashes Tests are the games he needs to dominate. Red-ball cricket is the mark of a man.

There were 11 sixes between Green and Owen. Three landed on the roof of the clubhouse. A couple were so big they may have trickled all the way to the front steps of the Bob Marley Museum. One flew over the cuckoo’s nest?

“Aw, fantastic!” Australia captain Mitch Marsh said of the 23-year-old’s debut. “Any time you get a young kid who comes in and performs like that in his first game for Australia, it’s always really special. We’re pumped for him.

“We want him to come in here and be as relaxed as possible. We understand he’s going to be nervous playing for Australia but we’re trying to create an environment where he can keep doing that for us.

“We were under a little bit of pressure but the guys kept their intent and executed. We had a bit of power through the young boys in the middle and it’s exciting.”