'World Cup a lot different to IPL and franchise cricket': Jake Fraser-McGurk opens up on Australian squad snub | Cricket News

‘World Cup a lot different to IPL and franchise cricket’: Jake Fraser-McGurk opens up on Australian squad snub | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: Australian batting sensation Jake Fraser-McGurk, hailing from Victoria, has taken his exclusion from Australia’s T20 World Cup squad in stride. Despite his impressive performance in the Indian Premier League (IPL), where he amassed 259 runs in six matches at an astonishing strike-rate of 233.33, the 22-year-old believes he hasn’t done enough to warrant a place in the national team yet. Speaking on “The Willow Talk” podcast, Fraser-McGurk expressed his perspective on the situation, stating, “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.’” The uncapped T20 international player remained unfazed by his omission, acknowledging the difference between IPL and World Cup cricket.“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,” added the 22-year-old batsman.While some Australian cricket writers have criticized Fraser-McGurk’s exclusion, citing fitness and form concerns among the selected players, the young batter recognizes the challenges of breaking into a top order that features the likes of David Warner, Travis Head, and Mitchell Marsh. He also acknowledged the depth in the middle order, with players such as Tim David and Cameron Green cementing their positions.“I can’t really see myself batting (at) five or six because we’re pretty set there with Timmy David, Cam Green and those sort of blokes. That’s the way I think about it,” he added.Fraser-McGurk’s journey has been remarkable, from playing domestic cricket in South Australia and living near the Adelaide airport to rubbing shoulders with the elite in the IPL. He credits his Delhi teammate, David Warner, for taking him under his wing and introducing him to a world of luxury, including dinners at lavish mansions and rides in Ferraris. “Me and Davey having a joy ride. I love that sort of stuff. he said. Everyone knows him here (in India),” stated Fraser-McGurk.(Inputs from Reuters)

Read More
Hardik Pandya blames top-order collapse for defeat against Lucknow Super Giants | Cricket News

Hardik Pandya blames top-order collapse for defeat against Lucknow Super Giants | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: As Mumbai Indians succumbed to their seventh defeat of the season, this time against Lucknow Super Giants, skipper Hardik Pandya said loss of early wickets led to their down fall at the Ekana. After being put in to bat by KL Rahul, MI found themselves tottering at 28 for four after powerplay with pacers Mohsin Khan, Marcus Stoinis and Naveen-ul-Haq doing the early damage. Rohit Sharma (4), Suryakumar Yadav (10), Tilak Varma (7) and Hardik (0) all fell cheaply as Ishan Kishan (32) and Nehal Wadhera (46) and Tim David (35) somehow took them to a par total.Hardik said loss of wickets in a cluster in powerplay hurt them badly and they were never able to fully recover from that. “Definitely, losing early wickets in the powerplay is tough to recover from. Where we needed the most, we could not do well,” Hardik said in the post-match presentation. On being asked if high scores this season have put more pressure on the batters early, Hardik said, “Not really, you still have to see the ball and hit. The wicket was good. The ball was there to be hit and we just missed, that sort of season for us so far. I have always believed that whenever you take to the field, sometimes you will be down, sometimes you will be up, and you have to fight. It looks difficult but there are a lot of things you can learn from this game.”Amid MI’s freefall against LSG, Wadhera stood out, notching up a solid 41-ball 46 and Hardik was quick in praising the responsible effort from the youngster. “He has been fantastic, the way he batted against Rajasthan and tonight. He did fantastic last year as well. It was because of the team combination that he could not play early. Looking at his talent, he will play for a lot of years for Mumbai and for India eventually,” Hardik added. With 7 losses in 10 matches, MI are at the ninth spot. A victory on the other hand, lifted Lucknow to third spot.

Read More