David Warner struck to form as he scored 70 off just 36 balls in the first T20I against West Indies in Hobart. He scored those runs at a strike rate of 194.44, helping his team to post a mammoth score of 213/7.
West Indies in their chase fell short by 11 runs as they finished on 202/8. Warner for his quickfire knock of 70 was awarded the Man of the Match. He announced his retirement from ODI and Test cricket after the World Cup but is still playing T20I cricket.
Jake Fraser-McGurk made his ODI debut in the series against West Indies. He scored a rapid 41 off 18 against West Indies in the 3rd and final ODI of the series. Fraser-McGurk holds the record for the fastest limited-over century in 29 balls which he achieved during the Marsh Cup match against Tasmania. Fraser-McGurk had broken the previous record of 31 balls achieved by AB de Villiers in 2015 against West Indies.
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He has A Clear Mind, Plays With Freedom: David Warner On Jake Fraser-McGurk
Talking during the match David Warner spoke about the young 21-year-old’s potential to replace him in white-ball cricket. Playing in his 100th T20I match, Warner spoke to the broadcast team during the second innings of the match and said that Fraser-McGurk brought a fresh and brave approach to batting.
“He thinks that he can hit every ball for a four or a six. He has a clear mind, he plays with freedom and you need people like that in every team. He is great to have in the team,” David Warner told the broadcasters.
McGurk recently played in the ILT20 at Dubai Capitals under David Warner’s captaincy. He played a few splendid knocks in the tournament as well before returning back for national commitments.
“The more exposure he gets at the highest level, if he gets an opportunity in the ODI team he can certainly be a 10-year-player. He will go a long way if he can back himself, he certainly has the skillset for that,” Warner concluded.
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Fraser-McGurk has played 2 ODIs and has scored 51 runs. His strike rate at the moment, stands at 221.73. He scored 10 off five balls from Alzarri Joseph on his international debut but gave the first glimpse of his talent in the third ODI. He is in the race to be selected in Australia’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad. Given his instincts as a cricketer, he is well suited to T20 cricket at the moment as he has a habit of scoring runs quickly.
He was picked in the Australian ODI squad for the three-match series against West Indies and he has given a glimpse of his potential. He is currently playing for the Melbourne Renegades and has opened regularly in the tournament for the Men in Red.
“Pleasing to get the win on the board. Was a nice wicket to bat on and you have to make the most of those. Feel great and refreshed, I’m pumped. I want to play the T20 World Cup and it’s a good journey we’ve got going for the next 6 months. Pretty much the same squad going to New Zealand so it’s important we win there as well” said Warner on being named the Man of the Match for the first T20I.
