New Delhi, May 02, 2024, IANS

New Delhi, May 2 (IANS) The newly-appointed T20I captain, Mitchell Marsh has clarified the reason behind leaving Jake Fraser-McGurk out of the 15-man T20 World Cup squad. He stated that Australia's squad has "all bases covered", and that the current openers; Travis Head and David Warner, have performed exceptionally well over the last 18 months, making them the preferred choice for the mega event.

The 2021 T20 World Cup champions unveiled their squad for the 20-over showcase on Wednesday, and the absence of Fraser-McGurk and former skipper Steve Smith from the 15-player group was among the biggest surprises.

Fraser-McGurk has been in excellent form for the Delhi Capitals in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), scoring three half-centuries so far. Many believe that the right-hander has demonstrated his abilities enough to be selected for the T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and USA, starting on June 1.

"Jakey is an outstanding talent. I think you know the way he's taking on the IPL, he’s taken it by storm, they’re all loving him, and certainly, the Delhi crew are enjoying his company and enjoying what he brings to the team, and there's no doubt that he's going to have a huge future, wherever he plays," Marsh said on Australian radio station SEN.

Fraser-McGurk has scored 259 runs in the IPL 2024 till now, with the 22-year-old having cleared the rope on 23 occasions from six innings for DC to be sixth overall for most maximums at the event.

"But we feel like we've got all bases covered within our team. Heady and David Warner have been fantastic for us, not only for a long period of time but over the last 18 months, building towards this (T20) World Cup. We're really comfortable that we've got the right 15 to hopefully take us deep into the (T20) World Cup," he said.

Speaking on whether he expects Fraser-McGurk to push for Australia's white-ball squads immediately after the World Cup Marsh said, "Oh, yeah, no doubt."

"He's come along pretty quickly. There's been a huge amount of talent that's been identified from a young age. We saw a glimpse of it throughout the Big Bash this year and you know that the IPL is a tough tournament.

"You can't take a backward step and that's certainly the way he plays his cricket. He's got an exciting future," he added.