Veteran Australian ace batter Steve Smith is likely to be dropped for the ICC T20 World Cup. As per various reports, the Fab 5 batter won’t travel with the Men in Yellow to USA. However, 22-year-old Jake Fraser-McGurk is tipped to get his chance in the mega ICC tournament.
End of the Road for Steve Smith?
Steve Smith has been rather poor in T20I cricket for quite sometime. This has been reflected in his repeated snubs in IPL Auctions. Despite having played the T20I series against New Zealand, Steve Smith is set to be not selected in the Australian squad for the T20 World Cup.
Deemed as a traditional batter who flourishes in Test and ODIs, Smith doesn’t make the cut for the fast paced T20I cricket. His priority of playing defensive balls and taking time in settling works as a bane for him. On the other hand, the demands of the game, need a player who can go full throttle from the very beginning.
Jake Fraser-McGruk to get call up?
While Steve Smith is likely to be shown the door, Young Jake Fraser-McGruk is set to get his National Team call-up. The 22-year-old has been a revelation for Delhi Capitals in his debut season in IPL 2024.
The destructive batter has hammered 247 runs in just 5 games so far with a highest score of 84. Batting with a strike rate of 237.50, coupled with 22 fours and 22 sixes, the youngster fits the bill of a perfect destructive batter that Australia so desperately needs.
Editors pick
