LISA STALEKAR: How does Jake Fraser-McGurk’s wild style fit into Australian cricket?

How do you solve a problem like Jake Fraser-McGurk?

I’m not sure Mother Superior would give the right answers about Rooster (his nickname) as he rocks a mullet, wears an earring and travels the world in style at the ripe old age of 22.

Although the real question is, does he even have a problem?

Those who watched the first ODI between Australia and Pakistan might have seen a new opening pair: Matthew Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk.

Following David Warner’s retirement, Travis Head, on paternity leave, needs a new first partner. Leaving the battle between the two Victorians throughout the ODI series and also between the T20s and the same opponents.

Both did themselves no favors on a tricky pitch at the MCG that gave the bowlers something of variable bounce and was a bit of a double over.

Fraser-McGurk’s innings was frustrating to watch: 16 runs off 14 deliveries, with a few mistimed shots in the air as he tried to assert his superiority from the first ball against an extremely fast Pakistani attack.

One of the observers might pull out his own hair, asking the teenager to take it back. Try to get into the fight before you start shooting with all your might.

To be fair, Fraser-McGurk played this way for a while and was extremely successful, which is why he is in the Australian team. He first burst onto the scene when he broke all records by hitting the fastest white-ball hundred in a List A match against Tasmania in October 2023. centuries in just 29 balls.

Fraser-McGurk’s form continued in the Big Bash League for the Melbourne Renegades, scoring 257 runs at an impressive strike rate of 158.6. He became a cult figure among young fans who wanted to look like him, play like him and, of course, hit like him. Almost no attention was paid to the outgoing Aaron Finch, the Renegades’ leading scorer.

From there, Fraser-McGurk embarked on the carousel of franchise T20 cricket, with the next stop being the Dubai Capitals. In the three innings he played in the ILT20, it was enough to impress the Delhi Capitals and he was called up to play in the Indian Premier League, the pinnacle of domestic T20 competitions.

It was here that the ‘crash, bang, bang’ approach, as commented by the great David Lloyd, lit up the biggest stage – 330 runs came off the teenager’s bench at a stunning strike rate of 234. Everyone was talking about him and how he should replace Warner immediately top of the Australian team at the T20 World Cup in the US/Caribbean a week after the IPL. As it turned out, he was included in the squad only as a traveling reserve.

Gerard Whately, in SEN’s ODI coverage, noted that the Australians missed a trick by not bringing him in at the time because he was literally in red-hot form and will now have to find that form again.

Watching him at the MCG, you were literally on the edge of your seat, knowing something was going to happen. Either it runs in abundance, or a chance is given, or its destruction.

I compare Fraser-McGurk to a young, raw, fast bowler. Launching rockets at speeds of over 155 km/h makes it an X-factor. But he can’t control it and gives away a lot of shots.

Now he could reduce his speed to 135-145 kmph to have more control, but then he will be compared to all the other fast bowlers. His defining characteristic is his raw pace, something that cannot be taught.

Are you really going to tell this guy to slow down? I don’t think so. So why ask Fraser-McGurk to curb his aggression?

No doubt being around the likes of Head and Glenn Maxwell, a player very similar to Fraser-McGurk who has taken a lot of criticism during his time, will certainly help his development. Being part of the Australian team will challenge him from the coaching staff, but the style we have seen of Andrew Macdonald is that he allows the players to be themselves and accept who they are.

At some point in his career, he might have asked himself the question: “Should I have better pace while playing ODI cricket?” As long as he understands that his current approach means he is more likely to fail than succeed, that’s okay. But keep in mind that with a string of failures comes intense media attention.

However, he may just strike a blow that will change the course of the game and the story. Just ask Maxwell as his innings against Afghanistan in the 2023 Cricket World Cup in India was named the greatest white-ball innings. No doubt this changed the course of the Australians, who eventually won another World Cup.

Fraser-McGurk could be your banker, the reliable rookie who ensures your team never finds itself in a tight spot and who has what it takes to put pressure on the opposition when the time comes, aka Beth Mooney. There’s nothing wrong with that, the team always needs Mooney.

However, at 22 years old, I don’t think he needs to make a decision right now. Especially when he has the support of selectors, coaches and teammates to continue to perform in the same spirit.

“How to catch a cloud and press it?” To finish with one more line from The Sound of Music.

You won’t do it, you can’t. Let Fraser-McGurk fly and see what heights he can reach. Because he truly is the X-factor moving the Australian team forward.