Tim David says he was grateful national selectors were supportive of his desire for crucial game time in the Pakistan Super League to continue his development
Flexible selection policy helped David become Aussie asset
Tim David's stellar year on the global T20 circuit may have looked a lot different had it not been for a unique selection approach designed to get the best out of each player.
David was named in his first Australia squad yesterday and will be part of the group that will be out to defend their T20 World Cup crown on home soil next month.
The 26-year-old power-hitter had been in line to be picked for his first Australian series earlier this year, when Sri Lanka toured for five T20 internationals in February, after another strong Big Bash season with Hobart Hurricanes.
David had his bags packed and was due to fly out to Pakistan later that day – having been picked up by Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League – when his phone rang.
It was national selection chair George Bailey.
"At that point I didn't know what to do," David told reporters from London after being named in Australia's T20 World Cup squad.
"I had been picked up in the draft to play for Multan in the PSL so that was something I was really excited for.
"And to be honest, at no point there was being picked for Australia really something I was thinking about … because I just thought they'd won the World Cup three months ago and that was still a really strong team."
After a frank discussion with Bailey, the pair decided it was better for David to go and play 10 to 12 games in Pakistan rather than potentially not playing at all for Australia.
"I thought that would be an opportunity for me to go improve," said David.
"If I could do that over a period of time, then maybe I was going to be a player that could be an asset to the Australian team or the Australian squad.
"I've tried to always make decisions about what's best for my cricket and my career, so for George to be able to see that and be really supportive of me trying to improve was really great."
And so it followed that David went to the PSL, smashed 278 runs striking at a phenomenal 194.40 in 11 matches and was picked up by Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League auction for a whooping A$1.5 million.
Then after a tough start to the IPL where he was dropped after the opening two games, David fought his way back into the side and finished the tournament with the highest strike rate of any batter at 216.27 (minimum 50 balls faced) so that when Australia's next T20 assignment rolled around in Sri Lanka in June he looked certain to be picked.
But again, David was left on the periphery with selectors preferring to leave him England where he was dominating with Lancashire in the T20 Blast than bring him over for the whirlwind three-match T20 series.
Image Id: C7279F4748CD4EAA9AAC8392BE6A8018 Image Caption: David hit 278 runs for Multan in 11 PSL matches this year // AFPBailey said David's rise to the Australian side was a "unique journey" but an exciting one and a similar approach to selection had also been taken with other players.
"We have been conscious, not just with Tim, but with a number of players that you want players playing cricket and players want to be playing cricket," Bailey said.
"We've worked with a number of players to make sure that if there's an opportunity for them to be playing, whether that be in a T20 tournament around the world or some county cricket in England, whatever it might be, and it's a better fit for them, then we've have tried to accommodate that.
"But I don't think it's ever been at the expense of trying to pick the best Australian side we can."
David said his game had "evolved naturally" into a T20 'finisher' after being released from his rookie contract with Western Australia in mid-2019 and while his path may seem unorthodox, he has enjoyed every minute of it.
"It's just been a case of taking all the opportunities I've had in front of me," he said.
"It happened quite organically, there wasn't a point where I thought this is what I could really do.
"Maybe it looks unorthodox, but I've been out playing a lot of T20 cricket, and I'm really stoked to be getting to this point where I've been picked for the Australian team.
"It feels really rewarding for myself, my family and my support network to be able to get that call and share it with them."
Men's T20 World Cup 2022
Australia squad: Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins (vc), Tim David, Aaron Finch (c), Josh Hazlewood, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Kane Richardson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, Adam Zampa
First round
Group A: Sri Lanka, Namibia, UAE, Netherlands
Group B: West Indies, Scotland, Ireland, Zimbabwe
Super 12 stage
Group 1: Australia, Afghanistan, England, New Zealand, A1, B2
Group 2: Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, South Africa, B1, A2
Australia's T20 World Cup 2022 fixtures
Oct 22: v New Zealand, SCG, 6pm AEDT
Oct 25: v 1A, Optus Stadium, 10pm AEDT
Oct 28: v England, MCG, 7pm AEDT
Oct 31: v 2B, Gabba, 7pm AEDT
Nov 4: v Afghanistan, Adelaide Oval, 7pm AEDT
Click here for a full 2022 T20 World Cup fixture
Semi-finals
Nov 9: SCG, 7pm AEDT
Nov 10: Adelaide Oval, 7pm AEDT
Final
Nov 13: MCG, 7pm AEDT