T20 World Cup 2024: Mitchell Marsh Explains Why Jake Fraser-McGurk Missed Out Despite IPL Heroics
Jake Fraser-McGurk (BCCI Photo)
Fraser McGurk has undoubtedly been the find of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. Delhi Capitals (DC) were tottering in the bottom half of the points table when they decided to include the 22-year-old in the playing XI. In return, the uncapped Australian batter announced himself with some flashy knocks, notching up the fastest fifty for the team twice this season.
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Watching Fraser-McGurk’s flamboyant batting display, many believed he had proved enough to make the trip to West Indies and USA, for the T20 World Cup. However, he missed out as the Cricket Australia announced the squad last week.
Australia’s T20 skipper Mitchell Marsh, who recently left the DC camp due to injury, addressed the young batter’s snub and said Travis Head and David Warner were already in the fray to take the spots ahead of the uncapped Fraser-McGurk.
“Jakey is an outstanding talent,” Marsh said on Australian radio station SEN.
“I think you know the way he’s taking on the IPL, he’s taken it by storm, they’re all loving him, and certainly, the Delhi crew are enjoying his company and enjoying what he brings to the team and there’s no doubt that he’s going to have a huge future, wherever he plays.
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“But we feel like we’ve got all bases covered within our team. Heady and David Warner have been fantastic for us, not only for a long period of time but over the last 18 months building towards this (T20) World Cup.
“We’re really comfortable that we’ve got the right 15, to hopefully take us deep into the (T20) World Cup.”
Fraser-McGurk has been striking at 233.33 and has got three fifties already for DC. He has accumulated 259 runs, more than half of which have come from sixes. The 22-year-old has cleared the rope on 23 occasions from six innings to be sixth overall for most sixes in the tournament.
Marsh, who has been impressed with Fraser-McGurk’s hard-hitting ability, expects to see the top-order performer back playing for his country sooner rather than later.
“He’s come along pretty quickly. There’s been a huge amount of talent that’s been identified from a young age,” Marsh said.
“We saw a glimpse of it throughout the (domestic) Big Bash this year and you know that the IPL is a tough tournament. You can’t take a backward step and that’s certainly the way he plays his cricket and he’s got an exciting future,” he added.