‘T20 batting at a new level’: The Australian youngster pushing for World Cup selection

Just days earlier Australia sanction their Twenty20 World Cup squad, Jake Fraser-McGurk has added to his lawsuit for a spot with his latest staggering objection of batting pyrotechnics successful the IPL.

The 22-year-old Delhi Capitals opener pulverised the Mumbai Indians onslaught to the tune of 84 disconnected conscionable 27 balls astatine Delhi’s Arun Jaitley Stadium connected Saturday, including a half-century disconnected 15 deliveries, the joint-fourth fastest successful IPL annals.

It propelled Delhi, again without David Warner who’s inactive nursing an injured finger, to a monolithic 4-257, with Mumbai past falling abbreviated by 10 runs connected 9-247, contempt a precocious blast from Tim David, with his 17-ball 37.

Watching Fraser-McGurk from the commentary box, erstwhile Australia skipper Michael Clarke could lone enthuse: “The selectors person to beryllium reasoning astir him now, with the squad conscionable a fewer days distant from being selected. It’s hard to permission him retired to beryllium honest, the mode he’s played truthful far.

“I ideate conditions volition beryllium beauteous akin successful the Caribbean, slower wickets with that other powerfulness successful the powerfulness play needed. He’s done his chances nary harm and I’d emotion to spot him successful that squad of 15.”

It was breathtaking worldly from the commencement arsenic the Box Hill blaster Fraser-McGurk cracked left-armer Luke Wood for four, 4 and six disconnected his archetypal 3 balls and past had the temerity to smash Jasprit Bumrah astir the parkland for the world-beating pacer’s worst IPL implicit this season, going for 18.

Altogether, “JFM” went connected to deed 11 fours and six sixes successful his dazzling knock, signaling the highest of his 3 half-centuries compiled successful conscionable 5 matches since manager Ricky Pointing decided to gamble connected putting him successful a struggling team.

With Warner and Mitch Marsh injured, he’s stepped successful for 247 runs astatine an bonzer onslaught complaint of 237.50.

“He’s got 22 sixes and 220 of those 247 runs person been successful boundaries – that’s crazy, T20 batting astatine a caller level,” declared erstwhile Indian Test prima Sanjay Manjrekar.

Fraser-McGurk, who had adjacent looked connected people to bushed Chris Gayle’s IPL grounds of a 30-ball period until helium holed retired with 1 heave-ho excessively many, conscionable took each the plaudits – not to notation the JFM look masks successful the assemblage – with a pinch of salt.

Jake Fraser-McGurk was connected occurrence with the bat again for Delhi.Credit: AP

“That’s my role,” helium shrugged, aft smashing 78 disconnected the six-over powerfulness play alone. “Go retired and people arsenic galore successful the archetypal six arsenic I tin and if I spell connected with it, I spell connected with it.

“Not astatine all,” helium smiled erstwhile asked if helium was a subordinate who mightiness nudge the unusual single. “If I get ones oregon twos, past it’s astir apt the past shot of the implicit – oregon I mishit it.”

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But T20 cricket tin beryllium fickle. In the day’s different lucifer successful Lucknow, Marcus Stoinis, caller from his superb match-winning 124 not retired against Chennai, was bowled for a four-ball duck by Sandeep Sharma arsenic his Justin Langer-coached Super Giants were beaten by 7 wickets by table-topping Rajasthan Royals.

After skipper KL Rahul had led the mode for Lucknow with a 48-ball 76 successful their 5-196, Rajasthan made airy enactment of a not-insubstantial chase, led by skipper Sanju Samson’s 71 and Dhruv Jurel’s 54 successful an unbeaten fourth-wicket concern of 121.

AAP

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