(Credit CA)
As David Warner bids farewell to his international career, a rising star has emerged in the cricket world. Jake Fraser-McGurk of Delhi Capitals dazzled with his explosive batting in the Indian Premier League 2024 season, earning the nickname “Baby Bull”. Warner sees immense potential in him for success in white-ball cricket. While he sees similarities to himself in JFM, Warner emphasizes the distinct challenges between T20 and 50-over formats.
“He can lock it in. And a bit like myself, you (have to learn) how to play … 50 over cricket. That’s one thing that I learnt from Twenty20. I got dropped after seven games because I didn’t really understand how to play the game of one-day cricket,” he was quoted by cricket.com.au
“So from a one-day perspective if he learns that and understands that he’ll have a fantastic career, especially batting in Australia. Best wickets in the world,” he added.
Yet, Warner emphasizes the importance of JFM focusing on scoring substantial runs and aspires to see him wear the baggy green in the future.
He said, “Times have changed from when I first started with all these social media things, so hopefully doesn’t read too much into that, just sticks to what he knows best – that’s scoring runs, and that’s the biggest currency you can (have) is score runs”.
“Will he play Test cricket? I think he’ll have to have a breakout year in the next 12-18 months to prove himself. I think we’ve all had to score hundreds to get your name up there (to) warrant that,” he concluded.
Now that Warner is out of contention, the spotlight is on JFM, who has the potential to become the next major batting sensation in international cricket. His impressive IPL debut suggests he’s set to be a key opening batter in the upcoming season. Australia stands to gain by providing him opportunities in international cricket to acclimate to the demands of playing at the highest level for the country.
