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Just days before Australia name their T20 World Cup squad, Jake Fraser-McGurk has made an irresistible demand for a place with his latest staggering demonstration of batting pyrotechnics in the IPL.
The 22-year-old Delhi Capitals opener pulverised the Mumbai Indians attack to the tune of 84 off just 27 balls at Delhi's home Arun Jaitley Stadium on Saturday, including a half-century off 15 deliveries, the joint-fourth fastest in IPL annals.
It propelled Delhi, again without David Warner, who is still nursing an injured finger, to a massive 4-257, with Mumbai then falling short by 10 runs on 9-247, despite a late blast from Tim David, with his 17-ball 37.
Watching Fraser-McGurk from the commentary box, former Australia captain Michael Clarke could only enthuse: "The selectors have to be thinking about him now, with the team just a few days away from being selected. It's hard to leave him out, to be honest, the way he's played so far.
"I imagine conditions will be pretty similar in the Caribbean, slower wickets with that extra power in the power play needed. He's done his chances no harm and I'd love to see him in that squad of 15."
It was breathtaking stuff from the start as the Box Hill blaster Fraser-McGurk cracked left-armer Luke Wood for four, four and six off his first three balls and then had the temerity to smash Jasprit Bumrah around the park for the world-beating pacer's worst IPL over this season, going for 18.
Altogether, he went on to hit 11 fours and six sixes in his dazzling knock, recording the highest of his three half-centuries compiled in just five matches since coach Ricky Pointing decided to gamble on putting him in a struggling team.
With Warner and Mitch Marsh injured, he's stepped in for 247 runs at an extraordinary strike-rate of 237.50.
"He's got 22 sixes and 220 of those 247 runs have been in boundaries — that's crazy, T20 batting at a new level," declared former Indian Test star Sanjay Manjrekar.
Fraser-McGurk, who had even looked on course to beat Chris Gayle's IPL record of a 30-ball century until he holed out with one heave-ho too many, just took all the plaudits — not to mention the JFM face masks in the crowd — with a pinch of salt.
"That's my role. Go out and score as many in the first six as I can and if I go on with it, I go on with it," he shrugged, after smashing 78 off the six-over powerplay alone.
"Not at all," he smiled when asked if he was a player who might nudge the odd single.
"If I get ones or twos, then it's probably the last ball of the over — or I mis-hit it."
But T20 cricket can be fickle. In the day's other match in Lucknow, Marcus Stoinis, fresh from his brilliant match-winning 124no against Chennai, was bowled for a four-ball duck by Sandeep Sharma as his Justin Langer-coached Super Giants were beaten by seven wickets by table-topping Rajasthan Royals.
After captain KL Rahul had led the way for Lucknow with a 48-ball 76 in their 5-196, Rajasthan made light work of a not-insubstantial chase, led by captain Sanju Samson's 71no and Dhruv Jurel's 54no in an unbeaten fourth-wicket partnership of 121.
AAP