Fraser-McGurk vows to ‘knock the door down’ for Sheffield Shield spot after early omission

New Delhi, Oct 17 (SocialNews.XYZ) Australia batting sensation Jake Fraser-McGurk, known for his white-ball prowess, expressed disappointment at missing selection for South Australia's first two Sheffield Shield matches but remains confident about his ability to succeed in the red-ball format.

At 22, Fraser-McGurk is already a key figure in Australia’s limited-overs set-up, and his recent inclusion in the national ODI squad for the upcoming series against Pakistan reflects that potential. However, the talented right-hander is determined to prove himself in first-class cricket.

Fraser-McGurk, who was part of Australia’s white-ball campaign in the UK last month, acknowledged that missing pre-season red-ball training with South Australia (SA) had cost him a chance to feature in the early rounds of the Shield competition. Daniel Drew and veteran Jake Lehmann, both coming off strong performances, were preferred in the middle order, leaving Fraser-McGurk on the sidelines.

"Pretty disappointed with the first two selections, but that's the way cricket is," McGurk told reporters in Adelaide as quoted by cricket.com.au. "It's one of those ones where you've got to knock the door down in that format, but I definitely think I can do that.

"You've also got to give props to the guys that banged that door down in the previous (Second XI) games. They're making big hundreds so they're well and truly deserving their spot. I'll be sure to try and knock the door down come next selection."

In the Shield match against NSW last week, he was benched in favour of another middle-order contender Daniel Drew, who struck 130 and 24 not out in SA's debut Toyota Second XI match against Queensland last month. Travis Head, a Test batter, was also available.

Due to paternity leave, Head will miss South Australia's upcoming Shield match against Queensland, which begins in Brisbane on Sunday. Veteran Jake Lehmann, who scored 173 against a Jhye Richardson-led Western Australia assault last week, is anticipated to take Head's spot.

The omission hasn’t diminished Fraser-McGurk’s ambition. He is hopeful of breaking into the Shield side by the fifth round in December and knows the path forward involves strong performances at the Premier Cricket level, where he will represent West Torrens. The youngster is also keen to capitalise on his opportunity with Australia’s white-ball team against Pakistan, where he is expected to open the batting alongside Matt Short.

Last season, South Australia experimented with Fraser-McGurk as a red-ball opener, but coach Ryan Harris admitted the move wasn’t ideal. Harris believes the right-hander’s natural position in the longer format is in the middle order, likely at number six, where he can better utilise his attacking game.

"One of my priorities is trying to crack into that Shield team and really cement my spot in that middle-order. For me it's just sort of a tempo difference, not really a technique difference. It's spending some time out there in the middle and I was lucky enough to get that chance last week in the Second XI. A lot of my time goes into developing my red-ball game."

Having struggled at times during Australia’s recent tour of the UK, Fraser-McGurk is looking to regain form in the upcoming ODI series. He finished the tour on a high with a half-century against England, but knows consistency will be key if he is to cement his place in both formats.

Interestingly, Fraser-McGurk has also been working on his wicketkeeping skills at the suggestion of Australian head coach Andrew McDonald and assistant coach Andre Borovec. While he has no immediate plans to push for a full-time role behind the stumps, being a backup keeper could add versatility to his game and boost his selection chances.

Fraser-McGurk recalled how the idea initially caught him off guard: “At the start of the World Cup, they were like, ‘maybe you should get the gloves on,’ and I sort of laughed. But they were being serious.”

Although Fraser-McGurk hasn’t kept regularly since his school days, he has embraced the challenge, practicing his wicketkeeping skills alongside his batting. “It’s actually something I really enjoy doing,” he said. “If I can be good enough and something happens to Josh (Inglis) or Alex (Carey), I can be there to do a good enough job.”

Source: IANS