New Delhi, May 12: Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting opened up on Jake Fraser-McGurk’s exclusion from Aussie’s T20 World Cup 2024 squad and said the 22-year-old didn’t “expect to get picked in the first place.”
Currently, Ponting is serving as the head coach of Delhi Capitals (DC) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024.
The Aussie batter Fraser-McGurk is also playing for the Delhi-based franchise and has been displaying a stupendous performance in the tournament.
He appeared in seven matches in IPL 2024 and scored 309 runs at a strike rate of 235.88. “I don’t think Jake expected to get picked in the first place,” Ponting said on McGurk’s absence from the T20 World Cup squad.
The DC head coach said the Aussie batter has been “electrifying” in the 17th season of the IPL.
The former cricketer said along with DC’s Fraser-McGurk, Sunrisers Hyderabad batters Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma have been the “stand-out powerplay batsmen” in the entire tournament.
“It was only a few weeks ago that he turned up here as a replacement player, and probably the furthest thing from his mind was actually getting a chance to be in that World Cup squad. It’s just been how electrifying he’s been in this IPL.
Some of the things he’s done – I think he’s made three 20-ball fifties in this tournament, so he along with Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma have been the stand-out powerplay batsmen in this entire tournament,” Ponting was quoted by ESPNCricinfo as saying.
Ponting’s DC will take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in their upcoming match of IPL 2024 on Sunday.
Earlier in May, Australia named their squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
Left-arm spinner Ashton Agar won a recall despite not having played a T20I since the last T20 World Cup on Australian soil in 2022, while all-rounders Marcus Stoinis and Cameron Green also earned a place in the final squad despite some indifferent form in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), as per the ICC. All-rounder Mitchell Marsh will captain the side.
Meanwhile, veteran batter Steve Smith, young batting sensation Jake Fraser-McGurk, experienced seamer Jason Behrendorff and all-rounder Matt Short all missed out.
Australia open their T20 World Cup campaign against Oman in Barbados on June 5, before Group B fixtures against England, Namibia and Scotland.
Australia squad: Ashton Agar, Pat Cummins, Tim David, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh (C), Josh Inglis, Glenn Maxwell, Mitchell Starc, Marcus Stoinis, Matthew Wade, David Warner, and Adam Zampa. (Agencies)
