Australian captain Steve Smith has confessed that Jake Fraser-McGurk needs to improve his shot selection following another failure with the bat, but warned the rising star remains a “dangerous” threat ahead of the Champions Trophy.
Fraser-McGurk catapulted into the national conversation last summer following a record-breaking century for South Australia in the one-day cup and a breakout campaign with the Melbourne Renegades in the Big Bash League.
However, following his dazzling stint with the Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League, the Victorian has struggled to convert his domestic form into Australian colours, his most recent ODI scores being 16, 13, 7 2 and 9.
Relegated to No. 3 for Friday’s second ODI against Sri Lanka at Premadasa Stadium, which Australia lost by 174 runs, Fraser-McGurk slapped a slower ball from seamer Asitha Fernando directly towards mid-off, leaving the tourists in early trouble at 2-28.
The 22-year-old, who was recently touted as David Warner’s long-term successor in the white-ball formats, hasn’t survived beyond the fifth over in seven ODI appearances to date.
Fraser-McGurk wasn’t named in Australia’s provisional Champions Trophy squad last month, but the right-hander was parachuted into the 15-player touring party after all-rounder Mitchell Marsh was ruled out of the tournament with a back injury.
Speaking to reporters during Friday’s post-match press conference, Smith acknowledged that Fraser-McGurk, renowned for his ultra-aggressive approach with the willow, could benefit from being more cautious with his shot selection.
“He’s obviously a very aggressive player,” Smith told reporters during Friday’s post-match press conference.
“He’s got all the shots around the ground. I think it’s just picking them to play at the right time.
“He hasn’t quite got going here (in Sri Lanka), but he played a couple of nice shots out there.
“We know the talent that he possesses, so that’s why he’s in this squad. He’s dangerous. The wickets in Pakistan potentially suit him.
“He’s going to learn a lot just being around the group, continuing to work with all of us and the coaches, just talking about the game. He’ll definitely take a lot out of that.”
The Australian middle order looked all at sea against Sri Lanka’s spinners on the turning wicket in Colombo — wicketkeeper Josh Inglis was bowled through the gate after sitting back to a full delivery while superstar Glenn Maxwell was toppled by a peach that gripped and beat the outside edge.
Australia was ultimately bowled out for 107, the nation’s lowest ODI total in Asia, after losing 7-28 in a frantic 58-ball collapse, with all seven wickets falling to spin. It ranked as Australia’s fifth-heaviest defeat in ODI history and heaviest in the subcontinent.
“We’ve been outplayed obviously in the last two games, Sri Lanka have played some really good cricket,” Smith said.
“They’ve played really well on this surface out here.
“This wicket in particular, the harder white ball just skidding on quite venomously and then taking some spin as well.
“I thought their bowlers bowled really nicely. We didn’t bat as well as we did throughout the Test matches.
“But it’s another learning curve for us.”
Although Smith confessed he didn’t know what kind of pitches to expect for the Champions Trophy, he predicted the conditions in Pakistan would be more batter-friendly. During the recent tri-nation series in Pakistan, the hosts successfully chased a 353-run target against South Africa in Karachi, while New Zealand posted 6-330 during a high-scoring contest in Lahore.
“I’ve actually never played one-day cricket in Pakistan myself,” Smith said.
“From what I’m hearing, they’re usually reasonably good batting wickets. The ball skids on probably a little bit more.
“We’ve been watching a few of the games that have been going on there at the moment, and they’ve been quite high-scoring games, so it’s potentially better for batting.
“But you’ve got to rock up and assess it and play to the conditions on the day.”
Australian opener Matt Short, who is expected to partner Travis Head at the top of the order for the Champions Trophy, is also going through a rough patch in the 50-over format, with his most recent ODI scores being 1, 19, 22, 0 and 2. The Victorian was dismissed by Fernando twice in Sri Lanka this week, beaten on the inside edge on both occasions.
Nearly 18 months following Warner’s ODI retirement, the Australians are still searching for a long-term replacement for the veteran opener, whose offer to come out of retirement for the ICC event suddenly doesn’t seem as outlandish.
Australia enters the Champions Trophy off the back of four consecutive ODI losses, including back-to-back defeats against Pakistan on home soil in November.
However, the reigning world champions are renowned for producing their best in major events — after suffering five consecutive ODI defeats ahead of the 2023 World Cup, Australia quickly turned things around in India to lift the coveted trophy for a sixth time.
Australia’s opening match of the Champions Trophy is against Ashes rivals England on Saturday, February 22, with the first ball scheduled for 8pm AEDT.
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