LISA STHALEKAR: How does Jake Fraser-McGurk’s wild style fit into Australian cricket?

How do you solve a problem like Jake Fraser-McGurk?

I’m not sure Mother Superior would have had the right answers for the Rooster (his nickname), as he rocks the mullet, wears an earring and travels the world in style, at the ripe old age of 22.

Though the real question is, does he even have a problem?

For those watching the first ODI between Australia and Pakistan you would have seen a new opening pair, Matthew Short and Jake Fraser-McGurk.

With David Warner’s retirement, Travis Head- who is on paternity leave - needs a new opening partner. Leaving a “bat off” to take place between the two Victorians throughout the course of this ODI series as well as the T20s, against the same opposition.

Both didn’t do themselves any favours on a tricky pitch at the MCG that provided something for the bowlers, with variable bounce and it was a bit two-paced.

It was an uncomfortable innings to watch from Fraser-McGurk, 16 runs off 14 deliveries, with a fair few mistimed aerial shots as he tried to assert his dominance from ball one, over an extremely quick Pakistani attack.

Some watching would have been pulling their hair out, asking the youngster to pull it back. Try and get yourself in before you go all guns blazing.

To be fair, Fraser-McGurk has played this way for a while and has been extremely successful, hence why he is in the Australian set-up. He first burst onto the scene when he broke all records scoring the fastest white-ball hundred in a List-A match vs Tasmania in October 2023. In doing so, he beat AB de Villiers, another dasher in the game, by bringing up his century in only 29 balls.

Fraser-McGurk’s form continued in the Big Bash League, for the Melbourne Renegades, scoring 257 runs at an impressive strike-rate of 158.6. He became a cult figure among younger fans, who wanted to look like him, field like him and, of course, bat like him. Hardly any attention was offered to the outgoing Aaron Finch, the Renegades’ most capped player.

From there, Fraser-McGurk was on the merry-go-around of T20 franchise cricket, next stop Dubai Capitals. During the three innings he played in the ILT20, it was enough to impress the powers to be at the Delhi Capitals and he was called upon to play in the Indian Premier League, the pinnacle of T20 domestic comps.

It is here that the approach of smash, bang, wallop, as the great David Lloyd would commentate, lit up the biggest stage - 330 runs came blistering off the bat of the youngster, at a jaw -dropping strike-rate of 234. It had everyone talking about him and the fact that he should immediately replace Warner at the top for Australia in the T20 World Cup in USA/Caribbean a week after the IPL. As it turned out, he was only added to the squad, as a travelling reserve.

Gerard Whateley on SEN’s coverage of the ODI, pointed out that the Aussies missed a trick by not bringing him in at that time because he was literally in red-hot form and now he will have to discover that kind of form again.

Watching him at the MCG, you literally sat on the edge of your seat, knowing that something is going to happen. Either runs galore, a chance given or his demise.

I liken Fraser-McGurk to a young, raw quick bowler. Sending down rockets at 155km/h plus makes him an X-Factor. But he can’t control it and gives away a lot of wides.

Now, he could drop down his pace to 135-145km/h, to gain better control, but he will then be compared to all the other fast bowlers. His point of difference is his raw pace, something that you can’t teach.

Are you really going to tell this guy to slow down? I don’t think so . So why ask Fraser-McGurk to tame his aggression?

No doubt being among players such as Head and Glenn Maxwell, a very similar player to Fraser-McGurk, who has copped a lot of criticism over his time, will certainly help his development. Being part of the Australian set-up, with the coaching staff will challenge him, but what we have seen of Andrew McDonald’s style is to allow the players to be themselves and accept who they are.

At some point in his career, he might pose the question to himself, “should I have a better tempo while playing in ODI cricket?” As long as he understands that his current approach means he may fail more than he succeeds that is OK. But also be aware, with a run of failures comes media scrutiny.

However, he may just pull off a knock that changes the course of the game and history. Just ask Maxwell, as his innings against Afghanistan in the Cricket World Cup in India 2023, has been spoken about as the greatest white-ball innings. No doubt it changed the course of the Aussies who eventually went on to claim another World Cup.

Fraser-McGurk could become your banker, the reliable opener that ensures your team is never in a hole and has the gears to put pressure on the opposition when the time is right, aka Beth Mooney. Nothing wrong with that at all, a team always needs a Mooney.

Yet at 22, I don’t think he needs to decide just yet. Especially when he is being backed by selectors, coaches and teammates to continue to play the same way.

“How do you catch a cloud and pin it down?” To finish another line of the Sound of Music.

You don’t, you can’t. Let Fraser-McGurk fly and see what heights he can soar to. Cause he truly is the X-Factor of this Australian side moving forward.