Have had an eye on Jake Fraser-McGurk for a few years now, says Ricky Ponting

New Delhi, Sep 15 (IANS) Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting believes young Jake Fraser-McGurk will set the international cricket arena on fire, adding that he had been keeping a close eye on the right-handed batter’s career for a few years now.

Fraser-McGurk has been largely seen as David Warner’s successor following him making 330 runs with an astonishing strike rate of 234.04 during this year’s IPL for the Delhi Capitals, whose head coach was Ponting.

But he endured a lean start to his T20I career by amassing only 16 runs, including bagging two ducks in Australia’s 3-0 win over Scotland last week. After not playing in the T20I series opener against England at Southampton, Fraser-McGurk was back for the second game at Cardiff and notched up his maiden T20I fifty off 29 balls, though it came in a losing cause.

“He hasn’t set the international scene on fire yet, but he will. I’ve had an eye on him for a few years now, seeing him in the Big Bash and some of the cameos he’s played there. We got him to Delhi in the IPL and some of the things he did there were just unbelievable. He hits the ball as cleanly and as hard as anyone I think I’ve ever seen, and he’s slightly taller than me.”

“He’s not a big bloke. But he’s one of those guys who, you just get around people and they’re just born cricketers. If you look at his physique and shake his hand, he’s got big, strong hands, strong forearms and he’s a natural cricketer. In the field as well, he’s a gun in the field,” Ponting was quoted as saying by Sky Sports Cricket.

He then talked about the work which needs to be put in with Fraser-McGurk to be an all-format player for Australia in future. “He needs a bit of refinement with his batting. He almost stands like a baseballer all the time and he’s got very much almost a single hitting plane that he’s got to keep continually working on to keep opening up different areas of the ground.”

“That was the only thing I worked on with him at Delhi last season, was don’t cut the ground in half and thinking you can only hit the ball down here (over the on side), so I just had him setting up slightly differently and allowing him to hit the ball over mid-off and over extra cover and things like that.”

“He is a bit like Warner, where they are at about the same age is very similar. Davey bursting on the scene in the T20 game, no one really thought he could turn himself into a Test match batsman let alone a Test match opener, but I think when you’ve got that much ball striking talent and skill, I think he can do it, if he wants to.”

“I’m sure he will want to but there are so many other things you can do now domestically and white-ball wise, but I hope he has that dream and want to play Test cricket, because I think he can do it.”

Ponting signed off by saying there is no guarantee Fraser-McGurk will play in the T20I series decider at Old Trafford on Sunday, with the scoreline currently at 1-1. “The unfortunate thing for him is he probably going to go straight back out at the team next game when the skipper comes back. But he’s a very bright talent. I think he’s got the capabilities to play all three formats for Australia.”

“I think he’s good enough to work it out. If he gets an extended run in this format, he’ll find himself in the one-day side as well as the T20, I’m sure. And then over the next couple of years, with some more first-class cricket, I think he can turn out to be a three-format player for Australia.”

–IANS

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