TOP STORIES

Ricky Ponting endorses young gun Jake Fraser-McGurk for India showdown

Tuesday, 04-Mar-2025
News

With India and Australia gearing up to clash in the semi-final of the ongoing Champions Trophy on Tuesday in Dubai, the stakes remain high. Ahead of the big clash, Australia suffered a big jolt with their opener Matt Short being ruled out of the tournament due to an injury. Short had picked up a quad injury in Australia's group match against Afghanistan. 

And, to replace him, Australia brought young talent Cooper Connolly into the squad. Australia also have the availability of young gun Jake Fraser-McGurk and the side will have to make a tough call between Cooper Connolly and Jake Fraser-McGurk for the match against India. While, Connolly is capable of helping Australia with both bat and ball, Australian legend Ricky Ponting believes that Jake Fraser-McGurk will be a viable option for Australia. 

"He can slot straight into that position. To be honest, that's the way I would probably go and just hope that he has one of his days because in games like these, the semi-finals, must-win, big games, you need to throw caution to the wind. I think he's the sort of player that if you back him and give him an opportunity, he might just be good enough to win a big game for you like that," Ponting said on The ICC Review.

Ponting also suggested some alternatives for Australia ahead of the major clash against India. 

"They could even move Steve Smith up there and open the batting. He's done a terrific job when he's opened in T20 cricket the last couple of years. He's a good player of fast bowling, which was one of the points I made before trying to negate that new ball and get through to those middle-overs," the former World Cup-winning player said.

"They could put [Josh] Inglis up there if they wanted to, and then leave someone like Cooper Connolly as another left-hander in the middle order that could give them some spin options," the 50-year-old added.

 

Tags

More News

News

WI head coach Sammy fined after code of conduct breach

12 hrs ago

West Indies head coach Daren Sammy has been fined 15% of his match fee for questioning third umpire Adrian Holdstock crucial DRS decisions, sparking controversy. Sammy was handed a fine for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct on Day 2 of the first Test. 

“Sammy was found to have violated Article 2.7 of the Code, which pertains to “public...


News

“Pressure is mounting”: Ex-Indian cricketer on Gambhir amid India’s loss vs England

1 day ago

Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra has expressed that there is mounting pressure on head coach Gautam Gambhir following India’s crushing defeat in the opening Test against England. Despite dominating much of the match on the back of scintillating centuries from Shubman Gill, Rishabh Pant, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and KL Rahul, India fell to a five-wicket...


News

“It's only attitude”: Former Australian player slams India’s poor fielding

1 day ago

Former Australian player Brad Haddin has come down hard on Team India following their disappointing defeat in the first Test against England. Haddin highlighted India’s poor fielding—especially dropped catches—as the chief reason behind the loss. The defeat has raised eyebrows, with India’s lacklustre performance in the ...


News

Najmul Hossain Shanto quits as Bangladesh's Test captain

1 day ago

Najmul Hossain Shanto has stepped down as Bangladesh Test captain following the series loss against Sri Lanka. Bangladesh lost the second Test against Sri Lanka on Saturday in Colombo by an innings and 78 runs to lose the series 0-1. 

“I don’t want to continue [as captain] in the Test format anymore. This is not personal. I have taken the decisio...


News

IND-W vs ENG-W 1st T20I: All you need to know, head to head, likely XI

1 day ago

India and England women’s teams will lock horns in the opening T20I of their five-match series on Saturday at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. With the T20 World Cup looming next year, both teams are using this fiercely competitive clash as a vital litmus test of their readiness.

This series offers a chance to fine-tune strategies under pressure. Engla...