Singapore-born cricketer Tim David has earned a call-up to the Australia cricket team squad for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The situation has come full circle for David, who lost a rookie contract with Western Australia in 2018.

The call-up is predominantly a result of his efforts while playing in multiple franchise cricket competitions across the globe, including the Tata IPL, where he featured for the Mumbai Indians in the 2022 edition.

He amassed 186 runs in eight outings in the second half of the Tata IPL. From a nine-ball 20 against Rajasthan, Tim David showed glimpses of confidence with the bat as it reflected in his performances against Gujarat (44 off 21), Hyderabad (46 off 18) and Delhi (34 off 11).

The 26-year-old carried his IPL experience into the 2022 Vitality T20 Blast. Representing Lancashire, Tim David would tally 405 runs at a strike rate of 174.56.

David, more often than not known for his finisher role in the shortest format of cricket, reflects on how he grew and adapted to the role.

"It (finisher role) probably hasn't been a sole focus; it's just naturally evolved that way," Tim David said in an interview with ESPNcricinfo.

David also looked back on his early journey in the sport, his plan and how T20 cricket has played a crucial role in his development.

"My first opportunity after being released by Western Australia was to go and play for Singapore, so went and did that then came back at the opportunity to go to the [Hobart] Hurricanes,” Tim David said.

"From there, the only thing I was going to do in professional cricket was play T20, so you focus on those skills, and I have had more opportunities from there. It may look unorthodox, but I've been out playing a lot of T20 cricket and really stoked to be getting to this point," he said.

Tim David also recounted an episode where Australia cricket national selector George Bailey permitted him to play the Pakistan Super League (PSL) instead of a T20I series against Sri Lanka.

"To be honest, at no point was being picked for Australia really something I was thinking about," Tim David said.

"I was flying to Pakistan later that day and got the call from George, and at that point, I didn't know what to do. I thought they'd just won the World Cup, and that they were still a really strong team.”

"I've always tried to make the best decisions for my career. I thought that would be an opportunity for me to improve, and if I could do that over a period of time then maybe I was going to be a player who could be an asset to the Australian squad. For George to be able to see that and be really supportive of that it was great," he added.

Tim David’s call-up to the Australian team might surprise a few, given how the player has moulded his career outside the corners of a traditional national setup.

Furthermore, soon, David will be a topic of discussion for future selections. Not having a contract with the national team has given the Singapore-born cricketer the freedom to play more franchise cricket. However, George Bailey remains unsure how the sport can accommodate such trend-setters.

"He's (Tim David) been a star of the Big Bash for some time," Bailey said. "We get to the end of the Big Bash and we like to look at who is leading the run chart and facing the most balls, but if you look at franchise and international teams around the world the ability to finish an innings, whether that's two, 12 or 20 balls, is highly sought after,” Bailey said.

"It's a different journey, no doubt about that, and when you get the opportunity to hear about the journey, it's great. He has been part of our domestic systems…but it's certainly unique. I think it's really challenging for players to just be a franchise cricketer without having a base or support network. And it's new, too. You might see it more and more but there are some challenges as well," he added.

For Tim David, such experiences are just a stepping stone to exploring the enormous opportunities coming his way, starting with the Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia.

Having shown his mettle in franchise cricket, we can't wait to see Tim David dazzle in the Australia jersey in his upcoming international T20I assignments - against India (away), England and the West Indies (home) and eventually the T20 World Cup.

All of us at MI and the Paltan wish him luck.