Inside Tim David’s six-laden net session in Colombo

Australian blaster Tim David is preparing to be eased back into the T20 side during the opening stages of the World Cup as he steels himself for maximum impact towards the pointy end of the global tournament.

David showed no signs of the hamstring injury that ended his Big Bash season at Australia’s training session on Friday, launching all comers – including the Aussie quicks and a handful of local spinners – to every corner of the Colombo Cricket Club Ground.

More than a dozen balls ended up on the roof of the Gymkhana Club lounge directly behind the sightscreen at the suburban ground as David and teammate Marcus Stoinis had hospitality staff and this reporter constantly ducking for cover.

David launched six after six onto the roof behind the nets // cricket.com.au

The optional session was Australia’s second since landing in Sri Lanka earlier in the week, replacing a scheduled rest day following Thursday night’s washed out warm-up match with the Netherlands.

Australia’s fully-fit quicks – Xavier Bartlett, Ben Dwarshuis and travelling reserve Sean Abbott – sent down the overs they otherwise would have in the abandoned practice match the previous evening, but even they weren’t spared from the full force of David’s powerful blade.

The right-hander hasn’t played since suffering a hamstring strain while batting for Hobart Hurricanes on Boxing Day last year, with his BBL skipper Nathan Ellis also poised to return from his own hamstring injury during the early stages of the T20 World Cup – beginning later today when Pakistan face the Dutch in Colombo.

There is some doubt as to whether the Hurricanes duo will be cleared to suit up against Ireland in Australia’s Group B opener on Wednesday, with team officials indicating they were “on track to be available for the group stage”.

The same Cricket Australia statement on Friday announced injured paceman Josh Hazlewood had been ruled out of the tournament completely, but Adam Zampa had been declared fit for the first match.

David told cricket.com.au in Colombo the tendon felt “pretty strong” but was aware he may be managed through the group stage where the side will also play Zimbabwe (February 11), co-hosts Sri Lanka (12:30am AEDT February 17) and Oman (12:30am AEDT February 21), with the top two teams to progress to the Super Eight phase.

Ellis, who bowled during a brief warm-up before the practice game was abandoned, also indicated he was “ready to go” for the World Cup after missing the Hurricanes’ BBL|15 finals campaign due to hamstring tightness.

David said he’d been back batting for a couple of weeks at home before joining the Aussie squad in Sri Lanka and has looked sharp during both training sessions so far where he has also completed running and fielding drills.

“I want to bowl looking at the state of these pitches but they’re not letting me,” he quipped.

David during a running session on Friday as he nears a return from a hamstring injury // Getty

“I wanted to bat a bit longer, but they just said hold your horses for a bit,” David added after Wednesday’s first session before batting for about an hour-and-a-half on Friday.

“There’s some management thoughts going around with the (medical staff) but it’s pretty strong and I’m looking forward to the back end of this tournament.”

David, who is Australia’s fastest scoring T20 batter since his debut in 2022, will be key to Mitch Marsh’s side’s chances of progressing deep into the tournament in his new role higher up the order.

The 29-year-old averages 32 striking at almost 170 in T20s in India, where, provided they qualify, Australia will play their Super Eight and finals matches (except if drawn to face Pakistan).

David said the move to get him in earlier in the innings – which saw him smash the fastest T20 international century (37 balls) by an Australian last year against West Indies, having arrived at the crease in the six-over Powerplay for the first time – was a result of head coach Andrew McDonald’s encouragement to give him “more chance to impact the game”.

As David explains in simple terms, he’s a batter who likes scoring runs, with the opportunity to face more balls giving him the chance to “hit more boundaries and more sixes”.

And for Australia, it’s allowed them to use their most destructive and fastest scoring batter in a role where he has greater opportunity to produce match-defining performances compared to the dozen or so balls he might have faced in the death overs finishing role.

“I’ve tried it a little bit before and didn’t do it very well,” David said, referencing a couple of innings against India in late 2023 where he scored 19 and 17 at No.5 with a strike rate of less than 100.

David turns Goliath with phenomenal 37-ball century

“There were a few learnings from that about how I wanted to play the same way but could manage risk a little bit better, and that means you can bat for longer at times and make better decisions.

“It’s just making good decisions, playing the right shots and if I do that over a period of getting to face 30 balls, then you can do some damage.

“(There was) a lot of support from the coaching staff … and it went well at the start, and I suppose that’s what you need for an idea to be supported.

“It obviously comes with responsibility that in this tournament I’ll be batting through the middle, and it’s important that we keep going with the same intent against the spin bowling that we’re most likely going to face.”

2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup

Australia squad: Mitch Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Ben Dwarshuis, Cameron Green, Nathan Ellis, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Matthew Kuhnemann, Glenn Maxwell, Matthew Renshaw, Marcus Stoinis, Adam Zampa. Travelling reserve: Sean Abbott

Australia’s Group Stage fixtures

February 11: v Ireland, R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo (8:30pm AEDT)

February 13: v Zimbabwe, R.Premadasa Stadium, Colombo (4:30pm AEDT)

February 16: v Sri Lanka, Pallekele International Stadium, Kandy (Feb 17, 12:30am AEDT)

February 20: v Oman, Pallekele International Stadium, Kandy (Feb 21, 12:30am AEDT)

Australia’s Super Eight fixtures

(Assuming all seeded teams qualify)

February 23: Australia (X2) v West Indies (X3), Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai (Feb 24, 12:30am AEDT)

February 26: India (X1) v Australia (X2), MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai (Feb 27, 12:30am AEDT)

March 1: Australia (X2) v South Africa (X4), Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, 8:30pm AEDT

Click here for the full tournament schedule

All matches will be broadcast on Amazon’s Prime Video