Ricky Ponting has encouraged Australian selectors to blood Jake Fraser-McGurk in all forms of cricket after his outstanding performance against the West Indies in Canberra on Tuesday.
The Australian great likened the talent the 21-year-old possesses to recently retired Test opener David Warner after he smashed 41 runs from 18 balls in a dashing display, following a five-ball 10 at the SCG.
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“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,” Ponting said.
“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.
“But with the talent and the skill that he had, which I think Jake has got as much talent as what Davey had coming through, then I think the earlier they can get him into the system and get him playing and let him work out for himself the best way to have success in all the different formats, I think it will be great for Australian cricket.”
It comes as Fraser-McGurk’s batting coach Shannon Young branded the newcomer a generational talent with the capabilities of excelling in the Test arena as well.
Young said it was clear from Fraser-McGurk’s arrival at the Richmond Cricket Club as a 13-year-old that he was destined for high honours given his talent.
But he said there was more to Fraser-McGurk, who made a 29-ball century for South Australia in a List A match last year, as a batter than simply being a thrashing machine at the top of the order.
“I think the public perception is that it is his only way of playing (but) I can tell you he is a very good batsman. His technique? There is no issue with that,” he told SEN in Melbourne.
“We played Andrew Symonds as a (No) six to move games forward. There have been guys like (Adam) Gilchrist who have always moved the game forwards and now (we have) the advent of ‘Bazball’.
“I have always spoken to him about playing his way and backing himself in, but he is perfectly capable of playing what some people would call more traditional cricket.
“In one of his Shield games when he was 17 for Victoria, he batted for nearly three hours against New South Wales full strength. He is a great batsman. There is no problem with that.”
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Fraser-McGurk missed selection for the next round of T20 games in New Zealand ahead of the two Test series beginning later in February.
Ponting, while believing Fraser-McGurk should be given an extended run in international cricket sooner rather than later, said the opportunity does not have to come before the T20 World Cup in June in the West Indies and United States.
“Obviously, there’s only so many people you can pick in the World Cup squad, isn’t there? He’ll get other opportunities. But the more he can get, the earlier he can get them at a younger age, the better it will be,” Ponting said.
“I’m not saying at all that he should have been picked in the World Cup squad, because they’ve put together a really good squad anyway, and one that on paper will look as good as probably any team going there.
“He’ll have to bide his time. But as we saw yesterday, he looks pretty keen to make the most of the opportunities that he gets.”
It is a view his batting coach Young agrees with.
“It is very tough (to get into those teams), particularly the 50-over team. They are the world champions. And T20 wise, we saw the New Zealand squad the other day. I mean, these are the best players in the world,” Young said.
“While everyone is excited by it and they have given him an opportunity, at the end of the day, the selectors have rewarded guys who have been good performers over a long period of time.
“You have the retirement of Dave Warner, I guess, looming after the World Cup in June, so there may be an opportunity there.
“(But) he is certainly not ahead of himself. He knows he was put there (for the West Indies series) in terms of his Big Bash form, so he has got to be patient, and I think he certainly understands he has to earn a spot.”
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