MELBOURNE: Batting sensation Jake Fraser-McGurk has shrugged off his omission from Australia’s T20 World Cup squad, saying he felt he had not earned a place yet despite his sparkling form in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
Fraser-McGurk has blasted 259 runs in six matches for the Delhi Capitals at a strike-rate of 233.33, prompting pundits and former players to call for his selection, but he will miss out on next month’s tournament in the US and Caribbean.
“There’s two ways you can look at it,” the 22-year-old Victorian told “The Willow Talk” podcast. “You can look at it through, ‘This is what I’ve done to prove my case,’ and then there’s also, ‘Look, a month-and-a-half ago I wasn’t even in the picture’’” said Fraser-McGurk, who is uncapped in T20 internationals.
“It didn’t really bother me a hell of a lot because I wasn’t in this position to sort of .... feel like I’ve earned that yet.
“World Cup cricket is a lot different to IPL and franchise cricket.”
Some Australian cricket writers have bemoaned Fraser-McGurk’s omission because plenty on the 15-man squad are battling fitness or form issues.
But the young batter said it was hard to fit into a top order that boasts David Warner — “our best opener ever in three formats” — Travis Head and captain Mitchell Marsh.
“I can’t really see myself batting (at) five or six because were pretty set there with Tim David, Cam Green and those sort of blokes. That’s the way I think about it.”
Fraser-McGurk has come a long way since playing domestic cricket in South Australia and living in a house near Adelaide airport that would shake when planes flew overhead. He said Warner had taken him under his wing.
“Me and Davey having a joy ride. I love that sort of stuff,” he said.
“Everyone knows him here (in India).”
Published in Dawn, May 8th, 2024
