Jake Fraser-McGurk's classy act for David Warner after T20 Cricket World Cup snub
Fans were shocked by Fraser-McGurk's World Cup omission for Australia.
Jake Fraser-McGurk has heaped praise on Aussie cricket veteran David Warner in a classy move after being overlooked for selection in Australia's T20 World Cup squad. Fraser-McGurk and Steve Smith were the most glaring omissions from the 15-man Aussie squad that was announced for the international T20 showpiece kicking off in the USA and Caribbean next month.
The 22-year-old has been in blistering form in the Indian Premier League (IPL), blasting three half centuries in his first six games for the Delhi Capitals. Fraser-McGurk has excelled in the absence of the injured Warner - who is nursing bone bruising in his left hand - with the young opener notching scores of 12, 84, 23, 65, 20, 55. His strike rate of 239.65 is also the highest in the competition.
Australian chief selector George Bailey admitted that both Fraser-McGurk and Smith were close to selection but said they were both options at the top of the order where the Aussies are already well set with Warner, Travis Head and captain Mitch Marsh. The Aussie selectors said the other batters in the middle order offered greater flexibility than both men who were omitted.
Many fans thought Fraser-McGurk’s devastating knock of 84 runs from 27 balls in Delhi's IPL game just before the squad announcement would cement his place in the Aussie side. But the 22-year-old feels like the selection decision was made well before then and says the other Aussie batters deserved to be picked ahead of him after proving their worth over a longer period of time.
“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.”
Jake Fraser-McGurk says David Warner has helped him a lot
Fraser-McGurk's acceptance of the situation and praise for his teammates shows class and a level of maturity beyond his years. And although many cricket fans thought now would be the perfect time for Australia to blood the youngster ahead of someone like Warner, the 22-year-old has nothing but good things to say about his Delhi teammate, the influence he's had on Fraser-McGurk's career, and the rockstar lifestyle he's introduced to him in India.
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“Me and Davey having a joy ride (in a Ferrari). I love that sort of stuff,” Fraser-McGurk added. “(Warner) has one of the biggest networks you’ll ever see. Everyone knows him here (in India). He’s got a lot of mates who are high up in special places. I had fun playing golf with him and some of the pros here in India, and going to massive mansions having dinners.
“It’s a completely different lifestyle than living in South Australia living next to the airport and the house shaking every time a plane flies over. I can’t complain about anything (Warner’s) done, he’s helped me so much already.” The 22-year-old also reserved special praise for his Delhi Capitals coach and Aussie legend Ricky Ponting, who's taught Fraser-McGurk how to hone his signature power shot off the pads for six.
“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 revealed. “He said, ‘you just have to find the middle and it’ll go for six.’ When I swing harder my head moves.”
