The Moment That Shook the Match: A Historic Six
In a dramatic moment during the third T20I against India, Australian powerhouse Tim David carved his name into the history books. Facing a menacing inswinging yorker from Jasprit Bumrah, David sliced the ball towards Washington Sundar, who could not complete the catch. The missed opportunity proved costly just a few deliveries later when David unleashed his fury on Axar Patel, launching a monstrous 129-metre six that left spectators in awe.
This colossal hit was officially recorded as the biggest six ever struck in a T20I match. The moment was so impactful that former England captain Kevin Pietersen took to social media platform X to react, quipping, "This six should've gotten Australia 12 runs." David's innings was a masterclass in power-hitting, as he racked up a dominant 74 runs from just 38 balls, including eight fours and five sixes, showcasing a particular dominance against quality spin bowling.
Redefining the Powerplay: A Stellar 2025 Campaign
Tim David's exploits in 2025 have been nothing short of extraordinary. He currently holds the highest T20I strike-rate of 197.50 among all batters from full-member nations who have scored a minimum of 150 runs this year. His effectiveness is even more pronounced during the powerplay, where his strike-rate soars to an incredible 215.55, the best among players with at least 60 runs in that phase.
What makes this statistic even more remarkable is David's new role. Before July 2025, he had never batted in the powerplay for Australia, having been primarily utilized as a lower-order finisher. The team management's decision to promote him up the batting order has yielded rich dividends. This strategic shift was perfectly illustrated in July when he blasted a 37-ball century against West Indies, registering the fastest T20I hundred for Australia.
The Coach's Insight: A Calculated Career Transformation
In an exclusive conversation with TimesofIndia.com, David's coach, Jim Allenby, shed light on the pivotal changes that led to this success. Allenby revealed that he had advised David about the limitations of batting too low in the order, as he often did for franchises like Mumbai Indians. "The problem is when you're as good as David at lower-order hitting, teams often send players who can't perform the same role ahead," Allenby explained.
The turning point came when his Big Bash League (BBL) franchise, Hobart Hurricanes, promoted him during the 2024/25 edition. David embraced the opportunity, smashing 254 runs in 11 matches at a strike rate of 177.62 and playing a key role in the Hurricanes' title victory. "He was really keen to bat early," Allenby said, adding that David expressed this desire to the Australian team management, who were receptive. "Batting at number four has worked out wonderfully. David can score a century if he gets a chance to face 40 balls. Moving up the order was overdue."
Allenby, who has coached David since he was a child, described him as a cricketer who relied on skill and finesse in his early years, even showing promise as a first-class player. However, a major setback occurred when he was released by Western Australia and the Perth Scorchers. Out of desperation to play cricket, David even opted to represent Singapore. "That setback left him in a bleak scenario," Allenby recalled. "Many people would have given up but David decided to focus his complete efforts towards becoming the best T20 cricketer."
This meant sacrificing his love for red-ball cricket. His training underwent a dramatic transformation, shifting from traditional technical work to intense, T20-specific power-hitting sessions. "He invests a lot of time behind fine-tuning a technique and swing which will give him the best chance of being a consistent striker rather than attempting to just slog," Allenby stated, highlighting the mental toughness required for such high-intensity practice, which involves facing at least 500 balls.
Allenby, who also experienced the challenge of moving to England for county cricket due to limited opportunities at home, praised David's resilience. "A lot of sacrifices were involved... David was willing to find peace in being uncomfortable." He emphasized that constant familial support and David's ability to convert disappointment into quiet determination have been the bedrock of his incredible journey to the top of T20 cricket.
