Tim David makes history for Australia in win vs WI as his 37-ball 100 upstages Shai Hope’s own brilliant ton.
On a night full of boundaries in St Kitts, Tim David put on a vicious hitting show, scoring Australia’s fastest T20I century from 37 balls as the visitors swept to a series-winning victory by chasing 215 with a huge 23 deliveries to spare.
West Indies posted 214 for 4 thanks to Shai Hope’s first T20I century, in which he and Brandon King had an opening partnership of 125. When Australia faltered on 87 for 4 in the ninth over, the objective was still a long way off.
David, however, put on a spectacular display that changed the record books by first achieving Australia’s quickest fifty from sixteen deliveries and then reaching the century mark with the boundary that also resulted in victory.
When David stepped out after a rough innings from captain Mitchell Marsh, it was only the eighth time in his 42 T20I games for Australia that he had batted higher than No. 6. When he faced Gudakesh Motie in the tenth over, he was 15 off seven balls and hit four straight sixes.
He added two more in Akeal Hosein’s subsequent over, and a boundary between them got him to fifty off sixteen balls. He took three more sixes as the chase rapidly narrowed to a run-a-ball because he was so focused and confident about matchups that he rejected a single in Roston Chase’s sole over to keep the strike against the offspinner.
When King dropped a sitter at deep midwicket on 90, they gave David a life, but the West Indies were likely out of the game. The only thing that threatened the century record after that was whether Owen would be the first to finish the game. However, David was not denied and easily surpassed the previous record of 43 balls set by Josh Inglis against Scotland last year, even though Owen was given a six when Rovman Powell stepped on the rope taking a catch at long-on.