Australia vs West Indies 2024

Jack Fraser- McGurk, Xavier Bartlett earn maiden Australia call-ups for West Indies ODIs

Two highly talented youngsters, Jake Fraser-McGurk and Xavier Bartlett, have been added to the Australian ODI squad for the upcoming 3-match series against the West Indies. This comes after the selectors withdrew Glenn Maxwell and Jhye Richardson from the squad that was announced a couple of weeks back.

Maxwell has been given a rest as he has had a gruelling workload over the last few months which have included the ODI World Cup and the Big Bash League. Richardson on the other hand, has been ruled out following an injury that he picked up while representing the Perth Scorchers in the BBL in what is another episode in a bout of injuries that have troubled him. However, Maxwell will in all certainty, play the T20 Internationals that follow the ODIs. The same cannot be said about Richardson whose injury does not seem like a minor one.

Australia updated squad: Steve Smith (c), Travis Head (vc), Sean Abbott, Xavier Bartlett, Nathan Ellis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Josh Inglis, Marnus Labuschagne, Lance Morris, Matt Short, Adam Zampa

The next big thing?

Fraser-McGurk has become a household name in Australia in recent times thanks to his exploits. Back in October, he smashed a 29-ball List-A ton, to become the fastest player to get to the feat. He then translated that form into the BBL in which he played a few eye-catching knocks for the Melbourne Renegades. In what was a poor season for them, McGurk was one of the few bright spots for the Renegades. His returns earned him an ILT20 contract with the Dubai Capitals and he has made an impression there as well.

He recently earned high praise from the likes of Ricky Ponting and Maxwell with the latter referring to him as the ‘most talented batter in Australia’. Maxwell had taken to ‘X’ to laud the youngster. “No one in Australia is better to watch then Fraser-Mcgurk. Easily the most talented young batter in the country. His potential doesn’t actually have a ceiling. #rooster,” he had written. 

Meanwhile, Bartlett is seen as one of the most skilful quicks around the circuit. His clever variations have seen his stocks rise in recent times as he has performed remarkably well in different phases of the game. He has done well in domestic cricket over a period of time and also showed a good account of himself in the BBL which has eventually led to his selection.