On Monday night, as the Hobart Hurricanes triumphed over the Sydney Thunder to claim the Big Bash title, one player's name rose above the rest: Mitchell Owen.
The Hurricanes' opener delivered a performance for the ages, smashing 108 runs to seal the victory and thrilling fans with a record-breaking display.ย
He reached his half-century in just 16 deliveries and went on to equal Craig Simmons' all-time Big Bash record by hitting a century off just 39 balls.
โTo be here and hear them chanting my name, it hasn't quite sunk in, but it's amazing and I'm so grateful for it,โ Owen told Fox Cricket.
โAll I wanted to do was lift that trophy. I was actually disappointed to get out, I wanted to be able to hit the winning runs and get us home a little bit easier, so I didn't have to sit there a bit nervous, but it's super special, it's a childhood dream and I'm so grateful.โ
The 23-year-old's incredible innings featured an astonishing 11 sixes and six fours, amassing his 108 runs from just 42 balls.
Ben McDermott sealed the Hobart Hurricane's first-ever franchise title in style, hitting the decisive runs to secure a seven-wicket victory with 35 balls to spare.
Tasmanian-born Owen had largely flown under the radar, making his debut for the Hurricanes in BBL|10 and managing just 79 runs across 10 innings leading up to BBL|14.
Before this season, Owen had never opened in the BBL, and his previous best score was just 28. Following his aggressive knock in the BBL|14 final, he now holds the record for the most runs in the tournament, including finals cricket.
The explosive innings drew comparisons to Sam Konstas' remarkable Big Bash debut earlier this season, where he became the youngest player in BBL history to score a half-century, earning a call-up to the national team for the Boxing Day Test just a week later.
โThe Australian selectors would have to be taking notice of Mitch Owen's batting in this tournament,โ cricket legend Mark Waugh said on Fox Cricket commentary.ย
โHis life just changed.โ
