The T20 World Cup 2024 is less than a month ago. The preparations are going on. IPL 2024 is working as a great performance stage for the upcoming global T20 tournament. In this tournament, Aussie youngster Jake Fraser-McGurk caught the attention of his explosive batting. But even after the dazzling display, he has been snubbed from Australia’s T20 World Cup squad. Josh Hazlewood shared his view on that.
Hazelwood’s View on McGurk’s Snub:
As the IPL 2024 is going on, a lot of emerging talents from all over the world are grabbing attention. Australia’s youngster Jake Fraser McGurk has showcased his talents. While playing for Delhi Capitals, the batters displayed his brilliance. In the IPL 2024 season, Jake Fraser-McGurk showcased his batting prowess, accumulating 259 runs in 6 matches with a high score of 84. He maintained an impressive average of 43.17 and a striking rate of 233.33, recording three half-centuries along with a flurry of boundaries.
Even after explosive performances, he has missed a spot in Australia’s T20 World Cup. Australian veteran Josh Hazlewood expresses confidence that Jake Fraser-McGurk will represent Australia in the future but regrets that neither Fraser-McGurk nor Steven Smith made it to the 15-member T20 World Cup squad.
While talking about McGurk’s exclusion, Hazelwood said, “The way he goes about it is quite special, just the ball striking. Where do you fit him in? It’s so tough to fit into that top order with what we’ve got there with experience with Travis [Head], Mitch [Marsh] and Davey [Warner] in the top three, and then the middle order’s pretty good as well. He’ll definitely get his time. He’s only young. He’ll be in the team sooner rather than later, I think.”
On Steve Smith’s Absence:
Former Australian skipper Steve Smith also missed his spot in Australia’s T20 World Cup squad. A lot of speculation was created over that matter. Hazlewood believed Smith’s absence was unfortunate, citing his batting proficiency in spinning conditions and leadership qualities as valuable assets. He reiterated that Smith’s exclusion was also regrettable, given his expertise in navigating challenging spinning pitches and his proven leadership experience within the team.
He said, “Probably someone like Marshy will miss him being captain and just having another player on the field like Smudge [Smith] who you can just turn to at any time and get his advice.”
Later he added, “Obviously his batting and fielding as well. The conditions potentially could have suited his game and it’s always like picking up the pieces from a bad start is his job, but I think the way we’ve seen him bat for the Sixers [in the BBL], there’s a spot at the top as well, but again, you just can’t squeeze everyone in.”
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