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South Australia batter Jake Fraser-McGurk who became an overnight sensation after smashing the fastest hundred off 29 balls, said that he was in a zone where everything felt slower than usual.
"I had no idea [about the record]. I was just trying to hit the ball to the boundary. I came off and a few of the boys said you've broken a few records and the one that sticks out is AB against West Indies, I remember watching that innings, it was incredible," Fraser-McGurk told ESPNcricinfo. "I was seeing the ball so clearly and everything felt a lot slower than usual, I was in that zone, that mental state, which is something as a batter you try and be in every single time but it's rare, to finally have that happen is very pleasing," he further added. Fraser-McGurk's blistering knock at Karen Rolton Oval surpassed AB de Villiers' 31-ball hundred against West Indies in 2015 as the fastest List A century. He also bettered Gayle's 30-ball T20 effort against Pune Warriors in IPL 2015. Following a winter transfer from Victoria to South Australia, Fraser-McGurk's career has entered a new phase. Despite this, he will continue to play for the Melbourne Renegades in the BBL. It has been a difficult road in the early years of his career after he made headlines as a 17-year-old when he struck half-centuries on both his List A and first-class debuts. "It's tough leaving your home and all your friends, I've played a lot of cricket with the Victorian boys throughout my junior career. I've got lifelong friendships with those blokes but just felt I needed to be a bit selfish and do what's best for me, get some more opportunity elsewhere, and South Australia came calling and took that with open arms. They've been absolutely brilliant," he said. Fraser-McGurk also mentioned that he has just started his career and has got "plenty of cricket". "I've been around for a while, but some people forget I'm still only 21, so hopefully got plenty of cricket to come and the way I see it, I'm just getting started" "Every time you go out you have to adapt to conditions, but I usually do go out there and bat with some positive intent and try to get the game on my terms," he said. "It's a new process I'm working on, still learning and trusting, watching the ball incredibly hard, being calm and having full confidence in myself that I can play the shot I want to each delivery," Fraser-McGurk said. Fraser-McGurk said that he had experienced moments of self-doubt after making his promising debut at the age of 17 as he thinks that since he got started so early, it might be simple to forget that his game is constantly evolving. "You have that thought in the back of your head when you think you aren't really up to it when you're not doing well. I started pretty well in both debuts and was thinking it could only really go up from there being a naive young kid. I've been around for a while, but some people forget I'm still only 21, so hopefully got plenty of cricket to come and the way I see it, I'm just getting started," he continued. "I've caught myself a few times thinking this is so hard, but then I realise where some other greats of the game were at my age. Steve Smith was a bowler at my age and now he's one of the best batsmen in the world, so things like that, you have to realise you've got plenty of time" he added. "But it never means taking a backward step or stop working as hard, just means you have time to figure out your craft and now hopefully getting that score away, it can be a bit clearer for me" he further said. (ANI)
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