Former Australian captain and vaunted pundit Ricky Ponting has paid Tim David the ultimate compliment, labelling the recent Aussie selection as being made from Andrew Symonds' mold.
David, 26, was called into Australia's 15-man squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup on home soil following several scintillating seasons chasing the white ball at home and abroad.
Since making his mark on the Big Bash in stints with both the Perth Scorchers and Hobart Hurricanes, David has gone on to star for a fleet of foreign franchises, including Multan, Mumbai and Lancashire within the last calendar year.
While David is yet to don the green and gold, the heavy-hitting middle-order batter has represented Singapore in 14 T20 internationals, amassing 558 runs at an average of 46.50.
Though the Singapore-born, Perth-raised prospect is yet to learn where in Andrew McDonald's order his name will be listed, it may well come at the expense of either Steve Smith or behemoth bludgeoner Marcus Stoinis.
Speaking ahead of the Australian squad's announcement, Ponting tipped his hat to David, stressing that he deserved his opportunity and that he would make the most of it akin to his fallen mate Symonds some 20 summers ago.
“The way he’s transformed his game over the last couple of years is quite remarkable,” Ponting stated.
“It was only a couple of seasons ago that he was struggling to get a game in the Perth Scorchers line-up. It’s amazing what happens to players when they come to the Hurricanes, how much they improve.
“He’s been incredible in almost every tournament that he’s played around the world in the last 12-18 months.
“He’s obviously one player that we’re extremely excited about. I think there’s a chance for him to hopefully take on a bit more responsibility in the batting line-up with the Hurricanes this season as well, because of his consistency and his match-winning ability. We don’t want to waste that; we don’t want to have him sitting on the sidelines too long.
“He’s a very good, very dangerous T20 player that I’m sure the Australian selectors are thinking long and hard about for the T20 World Cup in a couple of months.
“If I was a selector, I would love to have someone like that in my team … he’s an out-and-out match-winner. He’s the sort of player that can actually win you a World Cup.
“He reminds me a bit of Andrew Symonds back in the 2003 World Cup. You know that if you get him in and give him an opportunity that they’re a chance of winning the tournament for you.
“I know there’s some other great world-quality players in the middle order for Australia, but probably none of them boasts a resume as good as Tim’s over the last two years.”
As reported by The Age, David will turn out for the Aussies as an uncontracted prospect, earning his keep with the bat and his wages via match payments.
Across the course of his 114 T20 outings, the rising talent has clubbed 2556 runs at a rate of 33.11, with a high score of 92 not out.
