Batting phenom Fraser-McGurk opens up on World Cup snub

Australian short-form batting sensation Jake Fraser-McGurk said he didn’t feel he had earned a place in the Twenty20 World Cup squad despite his recent pyrotechnics in the Indian Premier League.

Fraser-McGurk, the 22-year-old who has lit up the cricket world with his form for the Delhi Capitals in the IPL, was left out of the squad for next month’s tournament in the United States and West Indies.

Jake Fraser-McGurk was an exciting debutant last summer.Credit: Getty

While his omission came as a shock to many who had followed his performances, including a stunning 84 from 27 balls the weekend before the squad announcement, it was no great surprise to Fraser-McGurk himself.

“The communication was really good. There’s two ways you can look at it. 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,’” he told the Willow Talk Cricket Podcast.

“They [the selectors] probably had a good idea … of what it was a month-and-a-half ago trying to build that, how they can get the connection in that team. And it’s also hard to fit in. You’ve got David Warner, our best opener ever in three formats. You’ve got Travis Head, who’s lighting it up over here and has lit up for the past 18 months. And then Mitch Marsh is the same and he’s also the captain.”

Fraser-McGurk made his international debut at the end of the Australian summer, making 41 from 18 balls at the top of the ODI team against the West Indies, but he is yet to make his T20 International debut.

For all his exploits in franchise cricket, selectors chose not to gamble on an uncapped youngster at international level. The IPL allows for an “impact player”, effectively a designated hitter, which makes for fearless batting with sixes being hit at a rate of about 20 per match this season.

Fraser-McGurk said the top order had been his best hope of a World Cup call-up and the selectors have indicated he could yet make it to the tournament as a travelling reserve.

Warner and Marsh have been struggling with injuries and form in the IPL – the major lead-up tournament.

“I can’t really see myself batting five or six because we’re pretty set there with Timmy David, Cam Green those sort of blokes. So that’s the way I think about it. That’s fine. There’s hopefully going to be more time for that,” Fraser-McGurk said.

“And if I do somehow get a travelling reserve [spot] then great, I can get a good experience there or something like that. But yeah, 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.”

Staff writers

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