Australia`s David Warner believes that Jake Frser-McGurk can fill the opening role for Australia and will have a “fantastic” career ahead.
Warner and Jake represented the Delhi Capitals in the IPL 2024. The 22-year-old was also part of Australia`s T20 World Cup 2024 squad as a travelling reserve.
Warner`s international career most likely ended after Australia crashed out of the Super 8 stage of the tournament after Afghanistan and India inflicted back-to-back defeats on them.
After Australia`s exit from the T20 World Cup 2024, David Warner passed the baton to the youngster as the new opening batsman for the side in the T20Is and ODIs.
“Every time I put something out there, I become a selector, (but) I think he`s definitely got the ability to do that,” Warner said, as quoted from cricket.com.au.
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“He can lock it in. And a bit like myself, you (have to learn) how to play … 50 over cricket. That`s one thing that I learnt from Twenty20. I got dropped after seven games because I didn`t really understand how to play the game of one-day cricket. So, from a one-day perspective, if he learns that and understands that, he`ll have a fantastic career, especially batting in Australia. Best wickets in the world,” he added.
With Australia looking for Warner`s successor, Jake could be one of the names that could pop up.
Jake struck 51 across two matches off 23 deliveries during Australia`s ODI series against West Indies earlier this year. Before that, he set a world record by slamming a ton in a mere 29-ball one-day ton in the Marsh Cup.
Also in the nine IPL 2024 matches, he smashed 330 runs with an average of 3.36 and a strike rate of 234.04. He had 4 half-centuries and a highest score of 84 runs.
However, the young opening batter isn`t looking to follow Warner`s footsteps in red-ball cricket. In the Sheffield Shield cricket, playing at the opening slot for South Australia didn`t suit him, and the experiment ended up as a failure. He scored 19 runs as an opener in four innings, but he scored his first hundred in first-class cricket while playing at the number six spot.
“Last year when I was put up to open the batting in Shield cricket, that`s not me … it was torture. That`s one thing I won`t be able to do,” Fraser-McGurk said to laughter on cricket.com.au`s Unplayable Podcast during the tournament.
“Traditionalists have a go saying, `Why don`t you want to play Test cricket?` I never said I didn`t want to. Everyone wants to. Obviously, everyone wants to, but it`s just what opportunities will come and also am I going to be able to get that opportunity. I haven`t had a great Shield career to date – hopefully. that changes. But my career started turning around when I was focusing on the white ball … it`s something to work on,” he added.
After their T20 World Cup campaign ended on a bitter note, Australia will travel to Scotland for a three-match T20I series which will kick off on September 4.
(With ANI Inputs)