A particular batting order in cricket has various characters. The dashing opener, the all-reliable middle-order anchor and the savage demolisher at the lower end. The latter category has seen some of the most ruthless batsmen over the years and the number has only increased exponentially ever since T20s have come into the picture. T20’s were a hot topic of controversy even during its inception and continues to be the debate between the old and new-head fans. However, one can't deny the contribution of this format in globalising the sport and one of the best examples of the above topics is birthday boy Tim David.
Son of former international Singaporean cricketer Rod David, Tim spent his early years growing up in Australia. Aspiring to break into the Australian national Side, reality hit Tim hard when breaking into the domestic circuit proved to be impossible. Failing to secure a contract with Western Australia, David took it in stride and turned his career towards Singapore.
558 runs @46.5 with a strike rate of 158.52 across his short stint with Singapore may not have caught headlines but gave the cricketing world a glimpse of his capabilities. Simultaneous opportunities opened up in the Big-Bash league. Coming to bat mostly at 7, Big Tim made most of the limited deliveries he faced, his strike of 153.58 being the highest for any batsman in BBL (min. 500 balls).
A growth spurt at the end of his teenage days boosted his cricketing dream which was going nowhere and similarly the 19/20 BBL opened up pathways to the various cricketing leagues across the globe, yet another effect of globalisation of cricket. Tim David has employed his trades in leagues of countries such as Pakistan, USA, South Africa, West Indies and UAE. Already part of 216 T20s, only Andre Russell has played more matches while striking at a better rate than David’s scoring rate of 162.72.
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It was only time before the big bucks from IPL came rolling in. Having been named as a replacement by RCB in the previous season, David was picked by 5-time champions Mumbai Indians in the 2022 auction for a price of Rs 8.25 crore. He has gathered a cult following in India, striking at stupendous 177.9 ever since his arrival in India.
Later on in 2022, David would complete his story by making his debut for the Australian national Side, becoming one of the few players to have represented more than one nation in the international stage. His debut was also special since he got to wear the Aussie jersey without having played a single first-class game or heck, he didn't even have a signed domestic contract at the time.
The one thing that has remained constant since the 2018 summer for Tim is his towering sixes using his snake-like long hands and that has remained the same for Australia too, where his T20i strike rate currently sits at 169.7.
With Tim turning 28 today, one can only expect for him to enter his sporting prime. The upcoming 3-4 months are packed with the IPL and the 2024 T20I World Cup and David is certainly one of the players to watch out for throughout these tournaments.
Team BouncerAvenue wishes him the best of luck for his future.
