Ahead of Australia’s second T20I match against Pakistan, former cricketer David Warner issued a warning to young batter Jake Fraser-McGurk, suggesting that the 22-year-old could be dropped from the squad if he does not start scoring runs. Fraser-McGurk has struggled to perform in the white-ball series against Pakistan. In the three-match ODI series, he managed to score just 36 runs at a strike rate of 109.09.
Australia lost the ODI series 2-1 after defeats in the second and third matches. In the first T20I match at the Gabba, Australia secured a 29-run victory in a rain-affected game reduced to seven overs. Speaking to Fox Sports, Warner praised Fraser-McGurk’s approach to the game but stressed the importance of adapting and improving when runs are hard to come by.
“We were talking about whether his game plan will change. Well, it won’t. He’s happy with the way that he approaches the game, (but) he’d like a few more runs. If you’re not scoring runs, the solution to that is you’re going to get dropped. That method he thinks is going to work for him, but sometimes you might have to tinker with that a little bit if you’re not scoring runs,” Warner said.
In the rain-shortened T20I in Brisbane, Pakistan won the toss and chose to bowl first. Australia posted 93/4 in seven overs, with Glenn Maxwell leading the charge with a 43-run knock off 19 balls, including five boundaries and three sixes. Marcus Stoinis added an unbeaten 21 off seven balls, including two fours and a six. Abbas Afridi was Pakistan’s standout bowler, taking 2/9, while Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah claimed one wicket each.
During the chase, Pakistan’s batting lineup struggled against the Australian bowlers. Abbas Afridi scored 20 off 10 balls with two fours and a six, while Haseebullah Khan contributed 12 off 8 balls and Shaheen Afridi added 11 off 6. None of the other batters showed the required temperament, and the top and middle order failed miserably. Australia’s 29-run win at The Gabba gave them a 1-0 lead in the three-match T20I series.
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