Jake Fraser-McGurk creates cricket history in message to Aussie selectors after brutal snub

Jake Fraser-McGurk has made another emphatic statement to Aussie cricket selectors after notching an extraordinary record in another Indian Premier League masterclass for the Delhi Capitals. The in-form Fraser-McGurk was overlooked for Australia's T20 World Cup squad in a move that left many fans shocked, and his latest stunning half century for Delhi against the Rajasthan Royals has made his case even more irresistible.

In his first match since the brutal World Cup snub, Fraser-McGurk blasted a 19-ball fifty to set an IPL record in just his seventh game after becoming the first player to score three half centuries under 20 balls in the competition's history. Incredibly, it was the 22-year-old 's fourth half-century in his debut campaign and helped Ricky Ponting's Capitals record a 20-run win against the Royals.

Fraser-McGurk belted Rajasthan's bowlers all around the ground but brought up his latest milestone off one remarkable over from Avesh Khan. The Aussie young gun took on Khan with an audacious array of big-hitting and brought up his fifty by smacking the Royals bowler for 28 in the over after going 4-4-4-6-4-6.

Fraser-McGurk was then out his very next ball after mis-hitting a full toss from Ravichandran Ashwin (3-24) to mid-wicket to end a swashbuckling innings. Fellow opener Abishek Porel made an entertaining 65 off 36 balls to help the Capitals reach 8-221 from their 20 overs.

Delhi coach Ricky Ponting was full of praise for Fraser-McGurk afterwards. “He hasn’t surprised me with what he’s done,” Ponting said. “I had a good look at him in the BBL and knew what he was capable of.” Fraser-McGurk still has an outside chance of being included in Australia's 15-man squad for the T20 World Cup, but it would probably only come at the expense of an injury to another batter within the squad and has to be made before the tournament starts next month.

Cricket world erupts over latest Jake Fraser-McGurk heroics

Delhi teammate and Aussie veteran David Warner has been battling a finger injury that's actually presented Fraser-McGurk with his opportunity in the IPL. And Aussie skipper Mitch Marsh has been battling a hamstring injury which he is confidently of recovering from in time for the World Cup. While both are expected to return to action soon, fans have once again been calling for Fraser-McGurk's inclusion in the World Cup squad after his latest heroics.

Delhi's total of 221 looked to be under threat when visiting skipper Sanju Sansom notched his fifth half-century this season. But his dismissal, a catch in the deep which was ruled clean by the third umpire, turned the match in the home side's favour. Rajasthan, who are yet to confirm their play-off spot, lost three more wickets in the next two overs and Delhi restricted the opposition to 201-8 for their sixth win in 12 matches.

Jake Fraser-McGurk's classy response to World Cup snub

The result comes after Fraser-McGurk gave a classy response to his World Cup snub, insisting he was "fine" with the omission and praising the batters picked ahead of him. Chief Aussie selector George Bailey said Fraser-McGurk missed out because the top order was already set with Warner, Marsh and Travis Head, while other batters in the middle order offered greater flexibility.

The reality is that Fraser-McGurk now has scores of 12, 84, 23, 65, 20, 55 and 50 from his first seven IPL games, averaging 44.14 with an astonishing strike rate of 235.87. He's also hit a staggering 30 fours and 26 sixes this season and can't have done much more to press his claims for T20 World Cup selection.

RELATED:

• Why Jake Fraser-McGurk missed out on Aussie T20 World Cup squad

• Reason David Warner had to be picked in Australia's World Cup squad

“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 Adam Peacock on the Willow Talk podcast. “They (the selectors) probably had a good idea of what it was a month-and-a-half ago...

“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.”

with agencies