Meet Jake Fraser-McGurk: Delhi Capitals' latest signing could light up IPL 2024 with his batting
Young Australian batter Jake Fraser-McGurk became a headline in India after Delhi Capitals (DC) roped in the batting sensation ahead of the upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024). The Aussie, backed by his stellar records at just a young age of 21, will be coming in as a replacement for injured Proteas pacer Lungi Ngidi.
DC secured the services of Jake Fraser-McGurk at his reserve price of INR 50 lakh.
The latest sensation in Australian cricket, Jake also has the backing of Delhi Capitals head coach Ricky Ponting as he gears up for his maiden outing in IPL.
He is already a popular name in Australia's domestic cricket. The youngster also holds the record of hitting the fastest century in List A cricket, surpassing the legendary AB de Villiers’ record (in 31 balls against West Indies). Jake slammed the century off just 29 balls while playing for South Australia against Tasmania in the 2023-25 domestic season. The Aussie ended up smashing 128 runs off 51 deliveries which comprised a staggering 10 fours and 13 sixes to his name.
En route to his ton, Fraser also eclipsed Glenn Maxwell's record of fastest fifty by completing it in 18 balls while the veteran all-rounder did in 19.
A century in 60 seconds!
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) October 8, 2023
All 29 balls it took Jake Fraser-McGurk to reach his hundred today #MarshCup pic.twitter.com/tzpFtpr0ww
Dubbed as the next David Warner by Ponting, McGurk is known for his big-hitting abilities and came under the spotlight for his stellar batting display in the Big Bash League (BBL) earlier this year. He featured for the Melbourne Renegades scoring 257 runs in eight innings at an average of 32.12 and a strike-rate of 158.64.
He registered two fifties and also smacked 18 sixes during his stint in the BBL.
While his performances in the shorter format is absolutely explosive, Ponting is convinced of his merit in red-ball cricket as well.
Drawing parallels to Warner and speaking about Jake's talent, Ponting was quoted as saying by ESPNCricinfo,
"I was on record at the start of the summer saying I think he's someone that can be well and truly fast-tracked through the Australian system. Because the natural talent that he's got reminds me a bit of David Warner's introduction into Australian cricket. When we saw [Warner] at the start, I think everyone doubted whether he was going to be good enough to play Test cricket technically."
On the back of this stellar show in BBL, McGurk also earned his ODI debut against the West Indies.
McGurk, who made his List A debut back in 2019, played two matches in the West Indies series and registered a high score of 41 but it was his towering strike rate of 221.73 that gave a glimpse of his fearless hitting ability.
Apart from the BBL, the young batter also turned out for the Dubai Capitals in the second edition of the International League T20 (ILT20 2024).
He featured in three matches in the tournament and smashed 109 runs at a strike-rate of 213.72 hitting as many as nine sixes.
McGurk is already being touted to be the next big thing in Australia in white-ball cricket and it will be interesting to see if Jake Fraser-McGurk indeed gets to make his debut in IPL 2024.
However, if he can deliver a big knock and showcase his monstrous six-hitting abilities in the IPL, it can certainly make him an overnight superstar and open many more doors for him in the future.
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