Australia look to Singapore-born cricketer Tim David in T20 World Cup defence

SYDNEY: Australia are banking on a rookie power-hitter born in Singapore to help them defend the Twenty20 World Cup on home turf later this month.

Lanky right-hander Tim David had been knocking on the door with a series of blistering performances on the global T20 circuit, including in the Indian Premier League and England's T20 Blast.

David has become one of the most sought-after finishers in the game, and Australia skipper Aaron Finch said that it was a no-brainer to include him in the squad for a home tournament where conditions are expected to favour batsmen.

"The form that he's been in over the last couple of years has been outstanding," Finch said of David, 26, whose rise really started last year when he had a breakout season with the Hobart Hurricanes in the Big Bash League.

"His power, first and foremost, is really impressive, but he's the overall package with some handy off-spin overs and good in the field (too)."

David, who stands 1.96m tall, played 14 T20s for Singapore but was eligible to switch allegiance because he has Australian parents.

He was in line to feature for Australia earlier this year when Sri Lanka toured for five T20s, but he had already been picked up by Multan Sultans in the Pakistan Super League when he got the call from chief selector George Bailey.

"At no point there was being picked for Australia really something I was thinking about ... because I just thought they'd won the World Cup three months ago and that was still a really strong team," he said recently.

Ultimately, Bailey decided it would be better for David to play in Pakistan rather than potentially carry the drinks for Australia.

It proved a good call with David building his reputation further by whacking 278 runs at a phenomenal 194.40