- The Adelaide star has been lighting up the IPL
- It was not enough to earn a place in the World Cup squad
- Reveals how chats with selectors have alleviated that snub
Jake Fraser-McGurk’s swashbuckling efforts in the Indian Premier League were not enough to book him a ticket to the T20 World Cup later this year, but the young cricketer has shown great maturity in accepting that decision.
There was no place for Adelaide’s young talent in the team with Mitch Marsh, Tim David, Cameron Green, Travis Head, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade and David Warner all getting the nod ahead of him.
That left several pundits scratching their heads, with Fraser-McGurk scoring 259 runs in just six IPL matches, including a staggering 84 in just 27 balls against Mumbai.
At one point his strike rate was 237.50 after just five matches, but it was not enough to displace the Australian team’s starters.
Mark Waugh led the chorus of disapproval following that decision, with the Australian Test tweeting: “(Fraser-McGurk) should (be) the first name on the sheet.”
Jake Fraser-McGurk has been hitting the ball for fun in the Indian Premier League this season
The young Adelaide star has played for Australia before but failed to make the squad for the World Cup later this year.
Veteran David Warner will play his last matches for Australia in the T20 World Cup
Instead of kicking stones, the 22-year-old batting phenom spoke on the Willow Talk podcast about his conversations with the Australian selectors and why he accepted their decision.
“The communication (with the selectors) was really good,” he said.
‘There are two ways of looking at it. You can see him saying, ‘This is what I’ve done to prove my case,’ and then 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 (the team) was like a month and a half ago… and it’s also difficult to fit in.”
‘You have David Warner, our best opener in three formats. You’ve got Travis Head, who’s lighting it up here and has been lighting it up for the last 18 months.
And then Mitch Marsh is the same and he’s also the captain.
“I don’t really see myself hitting five or six because we’re pretty focused with Timmy David, Cam Green and those types of guys.” That’s how I think about it. Alright.
‘Let’s hope there’s more time for that.
“It didn’t really bother me that much because I wasn’t in this position to…feel like I’d earned it yet.”
“World Cup cricket is very different from the IPL and franchise cricket.”
The Adelaide product said he understood why he wasn’t selected given the amount of talent ahead of him.
Fraser-McGurk (right) has found a mentor in Australian batting champion David Warner in the IPL
However, the door is not completely closed for Fraser-McGurk. Captain Mitch Marsh is battling a hamstring injury, while Warner is also under an injury cloud, so a place in the team as an injury reserve could still be up for grabs.
“If I somehow get a reservation (place) to travel, then great, I can have a good experience there,” Fraser-McGurk said.
The young star also spoke on the podcast about how his eyes were opened to the glitz and glamor of the IPL and how Warner had taken him under their wing.
‘Davey and I having fun traveling (in a Ferrari). I love that kind of stuff,’ she said.
‘(Warner) has one of the biggest networks you’ve ever seen. Everyone knows it here (in India).
“He has a lot of teammates in high places in special places. I had fun playing golf with him and some of the pros here in India, and going to dinner at huge mansions.
‘It’s a completely different lifestyle to living in South Australia, next to the airport and with the house shaking every time a plane passes by.
“I can’t complain about anything (Warner) has done, he’s already helped me a lot.”
