Star batsman Travis Head believes emerging sensation Jake Fraser-McGurk will reap rich rewards when he travels to the Caribbean for the T20 World Cup next month as Australia look to add a short-form championship to their Test and one-day international titles.
The 22-year-old and Matthew Short, who has performed well for Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League, will feature as a reserve 15-man squad for Australia in the month-long tournament hosted by the West Indies and the United States. .
Head, who plays for Sunrisers Hyderabad in the IPL, said it was clear Fraser-McGurk would become a feature in Australian cricket. He believes a trip abroad next month will further his education on what it takes to succeed in international cricket.
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“His entry point is not far. It’s really good to see him as a reserve. Nice to see him there. I think he will learn a lot. I think he will see a lot in the World Cup, which is a big tournament,” Head told foxsports.com.au.
“It’s something I wanted to do as a kid, and I wanted to see a young man see that and start his career. Get some international experience before he actually plays.
“I know he played a little bit (for Australia), but I think the teams he played for missed a few things. So to see it in full force will be really exciting for him.”
Squad: Jake Fraser-McGurk and Matt Short will be traveling reserves for the T20 World Cup.
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Interviewed ahead of the launch of the Prime series The Test, Head named Fraser-McGurk as a replacement for Delhi Capitals team-mate David Warner when Australia host Pakistan in a one-day series in November.
The left-hander joked that he was not sure whether it was “a good thing or a bad thing” that Fraser-McGurk had spent the last two months with Warner at Delhi, but predicted the explosive top-order batsman could have a similar impact. To the veteran.
“I think his being with Davey in Delhi could be a good thing or a bad thing. But I think he’s someone who will get through it the same way Davey did,” Head said.
“So I hope he’s learned a lot from him over the last eight weeks here. Again, to get him into this group, I think his time will come at some point in the near future, whether it comes (now) or not.
“If we don’t see it at this World Cup, I think we’ll see it very soon, in early November. I think we’ll be playing Pakistan in November so it’s almost a given that Davey’s name will be on the sheet because he’s not in the one-day squad.”
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I was surprised when Fraser-McGurk wasn’t named in the initial team. Fox Cricket pundit Mark Waugh was among those who believed it would strengthen the Australian team.
Fraser-McGurk’s teammate in South Australia and Australia’s wicket-keeper Alex Carey is delighted that the dynamo’s performances have been recognized by the national selectors during the IPL.
“It’s great to see him recognized for the success and form he has been able to display in the IPL,” Carey said.
“But when you see him in person (in South Australia), he is an incredible talent. He will fit really well into that (World Cup) group and great things will come out of him.”
Head, who has proven to be a winner for Australia in all three formats of cricket, said he was encouraged by the fact that Fraser-McGurk had the desire to develop in red-ball cricket with a view to playing Test cricket for his country.
“He will be a good person. He will definitely bring a lot of energy. And like I said, when you’re going well and things are exciting and moving well, all that energy is going to benefit the team,” Head said.
“Jake is an exceptionally exciting young man, but he also works hard, asks good questions, wants to do well and perform (and) seems to have an appetite for all three formats, which is good at this stage.”
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