INTERVIEW
Follow UsJake Fraser-McGurk was only 17 when he hit the headlines.
Little did he know at that point, it would take him a whole four more years before he would be relevant yet again in Australian cricket.
Back in 2019, the then-Victorian batter scored half-centuries on both his Sheffield Shield and Marsh one-day Cup debut in the space of just seven days. But post the bright start, sustaining that form became a burden on the shoulders of the talented Victorian, whose career did not quite take off instantly.
Fast forward to 2024, though, life has changed from a slightly slower road to a fast-paced highway where his talent is not bound.
On October 8, 2023, the right-handed batter became the unlikeliest candidate to shatter an age-old record set by AB de Villiers when he scored a 29-ball List-A century against Tasmania.
Until that point, the young Australian batter had just scored six sixes in the List-A format, but then, during his record-breaking 125 off 38 balls, the right-hander casually cleared the boundary 13 times while still finding the gaps for ten fours. It was that knock which transformed everything for the 21-year-old.
“Didn’t change my technique, just watched the ball and hit it as hard as possible. It came off pretty well for me,” Jake Fraser-McGurk told Cricket.com in an exclusive interview from his stint with the Dubai Capitals in the International League T20 (ILT20).
That knock propelled Fraser-McGurk’s career like a rocket, and ever since, he has taken off into oblivion, unleashing his brand of cricket, which has been both feared and revered.
Hitting sixes has almost become a trademark for the 21-year-old, who recently finished the 2023/24 Big Bash League as the third-highest six-hitter, scoring 18 sixes in a single edition, including seven sixes in a single match against Brisbane Heat.
So how did Fraser-McGurk, a batter who not too long ago often struggled to clear the boundary rope, start hitting sixes for fun?
“Being committed to my shots. In previous years, I have been half-in to my shot and been getting out. I think I have just matured a bit more and trained better in how I play. It is not necessarily that I have been to the gym and got a lot stronger; it could be a reason as well, but no, it is I just commit to my shots,” Fraser-McGurk added.
When Fraser-McGurk is depositing the ball for fun, he looks like a batter who doesn’t fear failure, something that Ben Stokes has instilled in England cricket over the last year. But is it possible to eliminate fear completely?
“It is more just, it is more aggressive cricket. I wouldn’t say it is fearless. it might look fearless, but it is impossible to eliminate fear. But there will always be times when it doesn’t go well, right now it is all going too well,” Fraser-McGurk opened up on the fear of failure.
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Aaron Finch has seen Fraser-McGurk’s rise from very close quarters, having captained the youngster at the BBL for the Melbourne Renegades. Over the last four years, Finch has seen it all, from McGurk struggling to find momentum on the ball to hitting sixes for fun.
“Players like Fraser-McGurk don’t come around every day,” Aaron Finch couldn’t keep calm when talking about the youngster to ESPNCricinfo.
So, how does the 21-year-old feel about the compliment from his childhood hero?
“It is a massive compliment coming from your childhood hero (Finch). It is something that makes you tear up a bit,” the 21-year-old responded to Finch’s compliment.
“He’s been massive for my early career and the start of my career. I have been around for six years in professional cricket, it is only this year that I have felt at home playing cricket. I’m happy I can do it at the age of 21, it is very exciting,” he added.
Fraser-McGurk is now amongst the mix for a One-Day International (ODI) debut against West Indies in the three-match series that starts on February 2 (Friday). The attention of the nation is naturally drawn towards the aggressive, natural stroke-making youngster, and the 21-year-old is happy to bask in the glory.
“Obviously, it feels amazing. I’m not sure a lot of people won’t like some attention on themselves. It is about staying level and backing your process, and things like that, and not changing who you are and what you do just because you have done different things. That’s the main thing that I’m going to do,” the Victorian-born batter said.
But before a debut appearance for the national team, Fraser-McGurk’s focus is firmly set on giving the Dubai Capitals side a good start in the second edition of the ILT20. He has already set the tournament on fire with a 54 on debut against the MI Emirates, where he smoked eight boundaries, including four sixes, making the right impact as an impact player.
“The experience (ILT20) has been second to none. I have really enjoyed my time here, I have been around for just five days. I’m only here for two more days. I definitely consider coming back, it is a great franchise, and it is a great place to play cricket. I think it is winter here; it is like Australia outside Australia,” the Capitals’ batter spoke on his experience in ILT20.
The conditions, however, are starkly different from those you generally witness in Australia, with some turn and grip for the tweakers. However, the young Australian batter has already adjusted well to the Middle East conditions and has looked at home against all kinds of bowlers.
“It is more adapting to the different conditions. You get a lot more dew out here, a bit slow wickets and those sorts of things. Getting used to that, the wickets in Australia usually are pretty fast, but this year’s BBL, they were not as fast as they have been in the past. If you are a good player, you will adapt to the conditions,” the 21-year-old opened up on the batting conditions in the Middle East.
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Life has now come to a complete circle for Fraser-McGurk, with the 21-year-old replacing Glenn Maxwell in Australia’s ODI squad for the series against West Indies. It was Maxwell’s presence in the dressing room during the pair’s time at Victoria that shaped up the youngster’s grind at the domestic level.
“It is not really about watching him but more about spending time with him (Glenn Maxwell). Just talking to him, even if it is not about cricket, I learn a lot of things about life from Glenn,” the Renegades’ batter said.
“When it is about cricket, he’s such a smart cricketer; his brain is wired so differently to that of other cricketers. If you want to know anything about cricket, try to get in contact with Maxwell. Obviously, cricket is a game you never master. But when he talks and bats, you feel like he’s figured everything out.”
At 21, everything seems hunky-dory in the Victorian’s life, but what if all of this fame, success and power-hitting comes to a standstill?
“Obviously, I haven’t yet experienced the downfall. Hopefully, that doesn’t happen. If and when it happens, I will be ready for it and continue to back my processes and keep doing the things that I have been doing and keep adapting.”
