He has set his sights on earning the Baggy Green.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) all-rounder Mitchell Owen has seen a sharp rise in his career and has slowly made a name as a T20 batter. After his heroics in last season’s Big Bash League (BBL), he has had gigs in various T20 leagues, including the Indian Premier League (IPL).
However, Owen has set his sights on earning the Baggy Green and playing Test cricket for Australia. He confirmed his desire to play for Tasmania in the Sheffield Shield to make a case for national selection. While talking to Cricbuzz, he said that the dream of playing Test cricket is “very relevant.”
“Every Australian kid who plays cricket, it’s their dream to wear the baggy green. I also can’t wait to get back and play some Shield cricket for Tassie and put the whites back on. That dream of wearing the baggy green is still very, very relevant. And I look forward to hopefully chasing that too.”
AUSA-W
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INDA-W
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SVL
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ROR
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Match Abandoned due to rain
BVB
78/6
TBW
151/6
AMR
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SVL
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TBW
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KNK
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SIN-W
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CAM-W
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SIN-W
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CAM-W
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SKA
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GAW
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ABF
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BR
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ODW
139/8
SDS
23/2
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WDL
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NDT
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CDK
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NDS
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NOR
180/5
HUN
118/8
Norway beat Hungary by 62 runs
NOR
195/3
SWE
93/10
Norway beat Sweden by 102 runs
SWE
123/4
HUN
122/7
Sweden beat Hungary by 6 wickets
HUN
95/5
NOR
165/6
Norway beat Hungary by 70 runs
SWE
177/6
NOR
183/4
SWE
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HUN
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HUN
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NOR
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NOR
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SWE
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HUN
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SWE
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ZAS
134/6
SOS
135/4
Sir Oliver Split beat Zagreb Sokol by 6 wickets
RJM
86/9
ZGA
92/1
Zagreb Assassins beat Rijeka Markhors by 9 wickets
RJM
106/7
SOS
112/3
Sir Oliver Split beat Rijeka Markhors by 7 wickets
ZGA
101/9
SOS
103/1
Sir Oliver Split beat Zagreb Assassins by 9 wickets
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JZ-W
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LL-W
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JZ-W
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LL-W
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JZ-W
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LL-W
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DURH
171/10
NOR
321/8
Northamptonshire beat Durham by 150 runs
BB
189/10
MID
217/10
Middlesex beat Birmingham Bears by 28 runs
ESS
417/6
SURR
173/10
Essex beat Surrey by 244 runs
DER
315/10
WOR
316/6
Worcestershire beat Derbyshire by 4 wickets
HAM
253/3
LEI
252/10
Hampshire beat Leicestershire by 7 wickets
SUSS
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LAN
338/7
GLO
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GLAM
288/9
TCC
104/5
KGC
25/2
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JJ
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PCR
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SML
62/6
BNB
63/2
Bengaluru Blasters won by 8 wickets
Toss delayed due to wet outfield
HBT
95/3
MGD
195/5
SML
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GBM
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MYW
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HBT
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ROS
82/10
MAT
151/5
Majees Titans beat Royal Oman Stallions by 69 runs
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124/6
RNC
112/10
Muscat Thunderers beat Renaissance Challengers by 12 runs
YSG
112/2
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MAT
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MUT
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IAI
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ROS
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RNC
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SLGY
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AUS
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SA
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NOS
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BIP
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TRR
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SOB
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OVI
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WEF
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NOS-W
117/2
BIP-W
116/6
Northern Superchargers Women beat Birmingham Phoenix Women by 8 wickets
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OIW-W
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WFW-W
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ACOM
161/5
HHA
162/3
Hobart Hurricanes Academy beat Australian Capital Territory by 7 wickets
MS-A
185/6
MR-A
189/5
Melbourne Renegades Academy beat Melbourne Stars Academy by 4 runs
CHK
143/8
PSA
141/7
Chicago Kingsmen beat Perth Scorchers Academy by 2 wickets
NTS
177/8
NEP
135/8
Northern Territory Strike beat Nepal by 42 runs
MR-A
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ACOM
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MS-A
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HHA
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PS
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PSA
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BANA
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NEP
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He has the backing of the legendary Ricky Ponting, who has kept Owen under his wings and is guiding him to become an all-format batter by taking him everywhere he coaches. Owen praised his coaching abilities, highlighting how Ponting makes everyone feel confident. The former Australian captain rates him highly, suggesting Owen has the ingredients to be a solid Test match player, like Ponting himself.
Mitchell Owen made his First Class debut for Tasmania against South Australia in the Sheffield Shield 2023 and played as an all-rounder for the team. He couldn’t open his account in his only innings while batting in the lower order but took two wickets in the first innings before going wicketless in the next to cap off a shaky debut in red-ball cricket.
Overall, he has played 14 First Class games, scoring 558 runs at an average of 26.57 in 23 innings, including five fifties. Additionally, he has 16 wickets at 48.81 runs apiece, with 3/38 his best figures.
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Clearly, he needs to work a lot on his red-ball game as an all-rounder. His numbers aren’t too great, and several better players are ahead in the queue with their more consistent performances in this domestic red-ball competition. However, the talent is palpable, and there’s no reason why Owen can’t crack the longest format, especially since Ponting rates him big-time.
His first focus should be on improving his middling Sheffield Shield numbers; that is the main route for national selection for all Australian players. What goes in his favour is his all-round ability, and Australia would want more utility options in their Test squad. But Owen still has a long way to go before turning that dream into reality.
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