After Australia’s 17-run win over South Africa in the first T20I, Tim David said the team wants to bat aggressively. The coaches trust the players in any situation so they keep the instructions to a minimum.
David’s sixes and Josh Hazlewood’s 3/27 were the key for Australia. They slowed down South Africa’s chase while defending 179. Ryan Rickelton scored 71 off 55 with 7 fours and a six. He and Tristan Stubbs (37 off 27 with 5 fours) added 82 for the 4th wicket.
David who hit 8 sixes and 4 fours in his 52 ball 83 said about the team’s T20I strategy after the game. Despite being 30/3 after being asked to bat first, David and Green fought back. They added 40 in 16 balls for the 4th wicket. Green scored 35 off 13 with 4 fours and 3 sixes.
David’s 8 sixes took Australia to 178 which proved to be enough. His 8 sixes are now the most by an Australian in a T20I against South Africa. He surpassed David Warner, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh and David Hussey who all had 6 sixes. David’s 8 sixes also equalled the most by any player in a T20I in Australia along with Rilee Rossouw and Glenn Maxwell.
Most sixes for Australia in an innings in T20Is against South Africa
| Sixes | Player | Location | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Tim David | Darwin | 2025 |
| 6 | David Warner | Melbourne | 2009 |
| 6 | David Hussey | Johannesburg | 2009 |
| 6 | Mitchell Marsh | Durban | 2023 |
| 6 | Travis Head | Durban | 2023 |
Most sixes by a player in an innings in T20Is in Australia
| Sixes | Player | Match | Location | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Rilee Rossouw | SA vs BAN | Sydney | 2022 |
| 8 | Glenn Maxwell | AUS vs WI | Adelaide | 2024 |
| 8 | Tim David | AUS vs SA | Darwin | 2025 |
In the press conference David said it’s not ideal to be 4 wickets down early but it happens. He believes in the batting line up and trusts each player to make good decisions.
He added the team has been playing together for a while so the coaches keep the instructions to a minimum. The players trust themselves to assess the situation and make quick decisions which is crucial in T20 cricket.
David also said the team wants to play aggressively which is how they think they play best.
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Since the T20 World Cup last year, Australia has a powerplay (1-6 overs) strike rate of 195.92 which is the highest in the world. They also score 66.52 runs in this period which is also the highest. They have lost 29 wickets averaging 2.07 wickets per powerplay but their aggressive approach has generally worked for them.
England (168.84), India (155.65) and New Zealand (154.75) also have powerplay strike rates above 150. New Zealand and England have lost 22 and 18 wickets respectively. India have lost 38 wickets. But India have been dominant winning 24 out of 28 matches since T20 World Cup 2021, losing only 3.
