Jake Fraser-McGurk had no issues with being overlooked for Australia’s T20 World Cup squad, confessing he still feels he’s yet to earn a place in the national side.
The 22-year-old, who has yet to make his T20I debut, was controversially omitted from Australia’s 15-player squad for next month’s tournament in the West Indies and United States despite blistering form in the Indian Premier League.
Fraser-McGurk, snapped up by the Delhi Capitals as an injury replacement, has blasted 259 runs in six knocks with a strike rate of 233.33, including a dazzling 84 from 27 balls against the Mumbai Indians.
It comes after the right-hander smacked a record-breaking 29-ball century in the Marsh Cup for South Australia last year and top-scored for the Melbourne Renegades during the recent Big Bash League campaign.
However, national selectors resisted the temptation of parachuting Fraser-McGurk into the provisional T20 World Cup squad that was announced last week, prioritising the versatility of wicketkeeper Josh Inglis and all-rounder Cameron Green.
Speaking on the Willow Talk podcast this week, Fraser-McGurk praised George Bailey and the selection panel for their communication, admitting he didn’t feel he deserved a place in the T20 World Cup squad despite his recent feats in the subcontinent.
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“The communication was really good,” Fraser-McGurk said.
“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.’
“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.
“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.”
However, Fraser-McGurk remains hopeful of joining the touring party as a travelling reserve, while Warner’s lingering hand injury has left the door ajar for an eleventh-hour call-up.
“If I do somehow get a travelling reserve (spot) then great, I can get a good experience there,” Fraser-McGurk continued.
“But (the omission) didn’t really bother me a hell of a lot because I wasn’t in this position to feel like I’ve earned that yet.
“World Cup cricket is a lot different to IPL and franchise cricket.”
During the extensive interview, Fraser-McGurk also revealed a key piece of advice he received from Delhi coach Ricky Ponting, who has been singing the Victorian’s praises over the past couple of months.
“What he’s said to me that’s really stuck with me, is I hit the ball a lot further when I swing at 80 per cent instead of 100 per cent,” Fraser-McGurk explained.
“He said, ‘You just have to find the middle and it’ll go for six.’ When I swing harder my head moves.”
Speaking to reporters in Brisbane on Monday, Australian bowler Josh Hazlewood predicted that although there wasn’t room for Fraser-McGurk in the T20 World Cup squad, a lengthy international career loomed on the horizon.
“The way he goes about it is quite special, just the ball striking,” Hazlewood said.
“(But) where do you fit him in? It’s so tough to fit in that top order with what we’ve got there – Travis, Mitch and Davey as the top three and then the middle order’s pretty good as well.
“He’ll definitely get his time. He’s only young. He’ll be in the team sooner rather than later, I think.
“It’d be nice to see him in all three formats, for sure. Opportunity is probably the thing. You notice with guys like (Marcus) Stoinis and (Glenn) Maxwell over the years that the opportunity to play a red-ball game for their state is non-existent, almost.
“It’s weighing all that up and balancing it. But hopefully, he’s quite young, and he has a bit of a crack in red-ball cricket as well.”
Australia’s T20 World Cup campaign gets underway on June 6, facing Oman at Bridgetown’s Kensington Oval.
