Warner holds out IPL hot shot Fraser
BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Hyped as the next David Warner by astute judges of his phenomenal batting talent, Jake Fraser-McGurk will have to settle for being next in line if Australia needs backup at the Twenty20 World Cup.
His extraordinary Indian Premier League form wasn’t enough to supplant anyone in the preliminary 15-man Australian squad that was announced May 1, but did earn him a spot as a traveling reserve for the tournament next month.
Australia coach Andrew McDonald confirmed the squad on Tuesday — with Warner, Travis Head and skipper Mitch Marsh remaining first choice top-order batters — and added Fraser-McGurk and Matthew Short as injury cover.
“There’s no doubt what he did in the IPL, he lit it up,” McDonald told Australia’s SEN radio. “He’s an extraordinary talent (and) there’s no doubt that he did turn our heads.”
The 22-year-old Fraser-McGurk soared into Australia’s selection calculations with 330 runs at an almost surreal strike-rate of 234 for the Delhi Capitals. His four half-centuries included two off 15 balls as he shredded bowling attacks.