Rising young batter Jake Fraser-McGurk made a name for himself with his explosive batting in T20 cricket. He continued to showcase his skills in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. However, it was not enough to earn him a spot in the Australian squad for the upcoming edition of the T20 World Cup 2024. Star pacer Josh Hazlewood has reflected upon it and said there was no space for Steve Smith or McGurk and that the team will definitely miss them but it was not possible to fit everyone in the 15-member list.
Josh Hazlewood on Jake Fraser-McGurk
Josh Hazlewood praised young Jake Fraser-McGurk but also asked to go easy on the selectors as it is not possible to fit everyone in the squad and they have already provided enough depth to the Australian team.
"The way he goes about it is quite special, just the ball striking. Where do you fit him in? It's so tough to fit into that top order with what we've got there with experience with Travis [Head], Mitch [Marsh], and Davey [Warner] in the top three, and then the middle order's pretty good as well. He'll definitely get his time. He's only young. He'll be in the team sooner rather than later, I think," ESPN quoted Josh Hazlewood.
Hazlewood on Steve Smith's exclusion from the squad
Josh Hazlewood highlighted how Smith's presence will be missed during the mega-tournament. He said Mitchell Marsh could have used someone like Smith to get advice during the match and how useful he could have been in the Caribbean conditions with his experience.
"Probably someone like Marshy will miss him being captain and just having another player on the field like Smudge [Smith] who you can just turn to at any time and get his advice," said Hazlewood.
"Obviously his batting and fielding as well. The conditions potentially could have suited his game and it's always like picking up the pieces from a bad start is his job, but I think the way we've seen him bat for the Sixers [in the BBL], there's a spot at the top as well, but again, you just can't squeeze everyone in," he added.
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