Just days before Australia names its team for the T20 World Cup, Jake Fraser-McGurk has made an irresistible demand for a place with his latest astonishing display of batting pyrotechnics in the IPL.
The 22-year-old Delhi Capitals opener pulverized the Mumbai Indians’ attack with 84 off just 27 balls at Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday, including a half-century off 15 deliveries, the fourth-fastest in the annals of the IPL.
He propelled Delhi, again without David Warner, who is still recovering from an injured finger, to a massive 4-257, and Mumbai then fell short by 10 runs at 9-247, despite a late burst from Tim David, with his ball 17. 37.
Watching Fraser-McGurk from the commentary box, former Australia captain Michael Clarke couldn’t help but enthused: “The selectors have to think about him now, when the team is just days away from being selected. It’s hard to leave him out, be Honestly, the way he’s played so far.
“I imagine the conditions will be quite similar in the Caribbean, slower pitches with that extra power needed on the power play. It hasn’t hurt his chances and I’d love to see him in that 15 team.”
It was impressive stuff from the start when Box Hill bowler Fraser-McGurk beat left-armer Luke Wood for four, four and six off his first three balls and then had the temerity to smash Jasprit Bumrah all over the park for the world pacemaker. worst IPL this season, with 18.
In all, he hit 11 fours and six sixes in his dazzling knock, registering the biggest of his three half-centuries compiled in just five matches since coach Ricky Pointing decided to gamble on putting him in a struggling team.
With Warner and Mitch Marsh injured, he came in for 247 runs at an extraordinary strike rate of 237.50.
“He has 22 sixes and 220 of those 247 runs have been within boundaries; that’s crazy, T20 batting at a new level,” declared former Indian Test star Sanjay Manjrekar.
Fraser-McGurk, who even looked on course to beat Chris Gayle’s IPL record of a 30-ball century until he holed out with a push too many, simply stole all the plaudits, not to mention the JFM face masks among the crew. – with a pinch of salt.
“That’s my role. To go out and score as many goals as I can in the first six and if I keep doing that, I’ll keep doing it,” he shrugged, after smashing 78 alone in the six-over powerplay.
“Not at all,” he smiled when asked if he was a player who could get the odd single.
“If I get one or two, then it’s probably the last ball of the over, or I hit it wrong.”
But T20 cricket can be fickle. In the day’s other match in Lucknow, Marcus Stoinis, fresh off his brilliant match-winning 124th against Chennai, was bowled by Sandeep Sharma for a four-ball duck as his Justin Langer-coached Super Giants were defeated by seven wickets apiece. . Rajasthan Royals.
After captain KL Rahul led the way for Lucknow with a 48-ball 76 at 5-196, Rajasthan made light work of a not insubstantial chase, led by captain Sanju Samson’s 71st and Dhruv Jurel’s 54th in an unbeaten fourth-wicket partnership. of 121.
AAP
