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Former Australia captain Ricky Ponting has praised young batter Jake Fraser-McGurk, calling him one of the most promising talents in world cricket.
Ponting highlighted Fraser-McGurk's explosive batting abilities but also noted that the 22-year-old has areas to improve, particularly in refining his style of play. Although Fraser-McGurk did not feature in Australia's first T20I against England on September 11 in Southampton, his reputation as a hard-hitting batter has grown significantly since his debut in the Indian Premier League (IPL) in 2024 with the Delhi Capitals. While speaking to Sky Sports Cricket, Ponting emphasized that Fraser-McGurk's potential is immense and that, with a more strategic approach, he could become a key player for Australia across all three formats. "He's an extreme talent. He's a ball-striking talent. He's still very much of a rough diamond though. Like I'm not sure in his own head he's actually worked out exactly the right way to go about it yet. I mean, he only goes one way, but when he's thinking about hitting the ball to different parts of the ground is when you see the best Jake Fraser-McGurk quite often," Ponting told Sky Sports Cricket. "He'll get sort of stuck in trying to hit him one which is normally down over long on or to mid wicket. But if he thinks about scoring 360 degrees around the ground, he's as clean a striker as I think I've ever seen. He's probably 5 ft 10, he's not a big kid, but he hits the ball extremely hard and he's got no fear, and he's a gun in the field. He's someone that I think that in the future can be a three-format player for Australia," Ponting noted. Ponting's comments underscore the belief in the young batter's ability to rise to the occasion, provided he continues to evolve his game. Meanwhile, Australia defeated England by 28 runs in the first T20I. Riding on Travis Head's blistering 59 off 28, Aussies cruised to 179, a score which proved too much for the Three Lions, who were dismissed at 151. (ANI)
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