Jake Fraser-McGurk says his omission from Australia’s T20 World Cup squad “didn’t bother me a hell of a lot” as he opened up on his relationship with the man who effectively kept him from being picked.
The big-hitting Fraser-McGurk has scores of 12, 84, 23, 65, 20, 55 in his six games for the Dehli Capitals in the Indian Premier League.
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The 22-year-old’s form and strike rate (239.65, the highest in the IPL) have been so strong Dehli coach Ricky Ponting has made him a regular fixture at the top of the order at the expense of David Warner.
Australian selector George Bailey said Warner was still recovering from bone bruising in his left hand but was expected to be fit for the World Cup.
There’s a school of thought that Australia need a player like Fraser-McGurk to win the T20 World Cup in a format where scores of 200 are now chased down with ease and 250 is almost the new par.
Australia’s ceiling would arguably be higher with Fraser-McGurk in the team, so it was a minor surprise he was left out of the 15-man squad named by selectors for the World Cup, which kicks off in the USA and Caribbean in early June.
Fraser-McGurk’s knock of 84 from 27 balls on the weekend before the squad announcement seemed timely, but he said selectors had made their mind up before then.
“The communication was really good,” he told Adam Peacock on the Willow Talk podcast.
“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.’
“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.
“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.”
Australia have backed Warner and an experienced team of players mostly in their thirties to win the World Cup and ensure Australia holds every major men’s and women’s ICC trophy.
Showing he has a mature head on his shoulders, Fraser-McGurk said he would love to go to the World Cup as a reserve but was happy to wait to feel like he had fully “earned” his spot.
“If I do somehow get a travelling reserve (spot) then great, I can get a good experience there or something like that,” he said.
“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.”
There’s no ill will whatsoever between Warner and Fraser-McGurk — instead Warner has taken the youngster under his wing in India where the veteran opener is a bona fide celebrity.
“Me and Davey having joy ride (in a Ferrari). I love that sort of stuff,” Fraser-McGurk said.
“(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.”
Fraser-McGurk’s most recognisable shot is his powerful flick off his pads for six, and he shared some key advice Ponting gave him about knowing when to tee off.
“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 said
“He said, ‘you just have to find the middle and it’ll go for six.’ When I swing harder my head moves.”