(Reuters) – Australia's Jake Fraser-McGurk has made a strong case for inclusion in their Twenty20 World Cup squad, former skipper Michael Clarke said after the top-order batsman lit up the Indian Premier League (IPL) again with his pyrotechnics.
Fraser-McGurk blasted 84 runs off 27 balls, a knock that included 11 fours and six sixes, to help Delhi Capitals post 257-4 against five-times champions Mumbai Indians before his fifth-placed team sealed a 10-run victory on Saturday.
He equalled his own record for the fastest IPL half-century this season, reaching the milestone in 15 balls with a huge six. Clarke said he would like to see the 22-year-old play in the World Cup in the US and West Indies in June.
"The selectors have to be thinking about him now, with the team just a few days away from being selected," Clarke said in the commentary box. "It's hard to leave him out to be honest, the way he's played so far.
"I imagine conditions will be similar in the Caribbean, slower wickets with that extra power in the powerplay needed. He's done his chances no harm and I'd love to see him in that squad of 15."
Fraser-McGurk, who is yet to make his T20 international debut, joined Delhi after South African pace bowler Lungi Ngidi was ruled out. He has made the most of his opportunities with 247 runs in five matches at a strike rate of 237.50.
"He's got 22 sixes and 220 of those 247 runs have been in boundaries - that's crazy. T20 batting at a new level," said former India batsman Sanjay Manjrekar.
But Fraser-McGurk is hardly a bolt from the blue, notably showing his big-hitting abilities last year when he smashed a 29-ball century against Tasmania in the Marsh Cup to register the fastest hundred in one-day cricket.
"Even when we watched him in the nets, he had something different, that X-factor," Delhi assistant coach Pravin Amre told reporters.
"He's a natural. If you see his setup, he believes in a stable base. He has excellent hand speed... If you see in this game, he played smart cricket.
"When the bowlers bowled wide, he hit a couple of sixes on the offside too. He has that ability and his shot selection is very good."