- Australian selectors chose experience over youth for the World Cup
- Adelaide star plays in first IPL and shatters records
- He may still make it into the World Cup selection as a reserve
Adelaide livewire Jake Fraser-McGurk continues to make fun of Australia’s selectors, beating some of the biggest names in the sport to set another Indian Premier League record in one fell swoop.
The 22-year-old continued his stunning form for the Delhi Capitals, hitting three sixes and seven fours in his 20-ball innings of 50, which lasted just 24 minutes.
That puts Fraser-McGurk at the top of the list for most IPL fifties achieved in less than 20 balls, beating some of the biggest power hitters in world cricket, including Indian star KL Rahul and West Indian clubber Kieron Pollard.
The Aussie Firebrand also achieved that milestone in his seventh IPL match.
Australia coach Andrew McDonald says the selectors opted for experience in the T20 World Cup squad, but Fraser-McGurk showed more evidence he could have been a weapon if picked.
Some fans are already saying the 22-year-old is better than David Warner at the same age, with the veteran Aussie opener enjoying a final swan song of his career at the T20 World Cup.
“David Warner was also a pocket dynamite in the early days, as was Jake Fraser-McGurk, but he’s nowhere near him,” one fan wrote.
Delhi Capitals’ Jake Fraser-McGurk plays a shot during his record-breaking IPL innings
The blow means the Australian has scored more IPL half-centuries in under-20 balls than any other player in the competition’s history
In just seven matches in his first IPL, McGurk has the insane stat line of 309 runs off 131 balls, an average of 44.14 average, a whopping strike rate of 235.87 and has hit 30 fours and 26 sixes so far in the tournament.
“He hasn’t surprised me with what he has done,” said Delhi coach and Australian legend Ricky Ponting.
‘I saw him well in the BBL and knew what he was capable of.’
Australian selectors can make changes to the 15-man World Cup squad and with David Warner struggling with a finger injury, Fraser-McGurk, who has taken the veteran top of the order for the Delhi Capitals, is emerging as an option.
McDonald defended Fraser-McGurk’s non-selection, opting instead for 37-year-old Warner despite his finger problem. McDonald said the selectors chose players who had ‘been there and done that’.
“We feel that over the last four months, especially in the white ball area, we have given a lot of opportunities to other players,” McDonald said.
‘Have we gone back to the tried and tested in terms of World Cups and artists that we know can perform poorly on that stage? There’s no doubt about that.
“They are players who have been there before, done it and are still in good form. Look at David Warner in the last 15 games for Australia. His record is excellent.’
In the wake of his non-selection, Fraser-McGurk admitted this week that he had not yet earned the right to play in a World Cup.
“It didn’t really bother me because I wasn’t in a position to… feel like I’ve earned that yet,” Fraser-McGurk told the Willow Talk podcast.
“World Cup cricket is very different from IPL and franchise cricket.”