Australia’s David Warner has tipped Jake Fraser-McGurk to fill the opening role for Australia and believes that the youngster will have a “fantastic career” for the Baggy Greens. Warner has recently spent a lot of time with the 22-year-old. Both of them featured for the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Jake was also with the Australian team during their T20 World Cup campaign as a travelling reserve. Warner’s international career ended after Australia crashed out of the Super 8 stage of the tournament after Afghanistan and India inflicted back-to-back defeats on them.
After Australia’s exit, Warner passed the baton to the youngster as the next opener in the T20Is and ODIs.
“Every time I put something out there, I become a selector, (but) I think he’s definitely got the ability to do that,” Warner said, as quoted from cricket.com.au.
“He can lock it in. And a bit like myself, you (have to learn) how to play … 50 over cricket. That’s one thing that I learnt from Twenty20. I got dropped after seven games because I didn’t really understand how to play the game of one-day cricket. So, from a one-day perspective, if he learns that and understands that, he’ll have a fantastic career, especially batting in Australia. Best wickets in the world,” he added.
With Australia looking towards the future, Jake could be one of the names that could pop up in their tours of Scotland and England as Australia.
Jake struck 51 across two matches off 23 deliveries during Australia’s ODI series against West Indies earlier this year. Before that, he set a world record by slamming a ton in a mere 29-ball one-day ton in the Marsh Cup.
He went on to set the new standards in the IPL while opening for Delhi Capitals. In nine IPL 2024 matches, Jake racked up 330 runs at an average of 36.66 and a whopping strike rate of 234.04, including four half-centuries and best score of 84.
However, the young opening batter isn’t looking to follow Warner’s footsteps in red-ball cricket. In the Sheffield Shield cricket, playing at the opening slot for South Australia didn’t suit him, and the experiment ended up as a failure. He scored 19 runs as an opener in four innings, but he scored his first hundred in first-class cricket while playing at the number six spot.
“Last year when I was put up to open the batting in Shield cricket, that’s not me … it was torture. That’s one thing I won’t be able to do,” Fraser-McGurk said on Cricket.com.u’s Unplayable Podcast during the tournament.
“Traditionalists have a go saying, ‘Why don’t you want to play Test cricket?’ I never said I didn’t want to. Everyone wants to. Obviously, everyone wants to, but it’s just what opportunities will come and also am I going to be able to get that opportunity. I haven’t had a great Shield career to date – hopefully. that changes. But my career started turning around when I was focusing on the white ball … it’s something to work on,” he added.
After their T20 World Cup campaign ended on a bitter note, Australia will travel to Scotland for a three-match T20I series which will kick off on September 4.
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