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Jake Fraser-McGurk (Source:@Cricbuzz/X.com)
On Saturday, February 22, England locked horns against Australia in the fifth match of Champions Trophy 2025 at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The Steve Smith-led side won the toss and opted to field first. Australia, who are hit with several injuries and lack senior stars, opted for a new looking side.
Notably, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Marsh, Josh Hazlewood, and Mitchell Starc are the ones missing the Champions Trophy, allowing the likes of Spencer Johnson and Nathan Ellis to lead the bowling attack. Although, much to everyone's surprise, Smith and Australian management opted for Matthew Short as Travis Head's partner ahead of Jake Fraser-McGurk.
Notably, Australia lacked a opening pair for Travis Head because of Mitchell Marsh's injury, but Matthew Short got a nod ahead of JFM. Thus, this article will shed light on why McGurk failed to get a place in the team.
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Why Australia Preferred Short Over Jake Fraser-McGurk For England Match?
It was a simple pick for Australia as they picked Matthew Short over Jake Fraser-McGurk because of his better performance as an opener. Notably, Short, who has played nine matches at the top in ODIs, has 195 runs, averaging a poor 21.
However, McGurk has worse average at the top as he failed to repay the faith shown in him by the selectors from mid-2024 to late 2024. Notably, the DC star has just 89 runs in six innings as an opener for Australia. He averages just 14.
Further, Head is the most explosive one and Australia weren't forced to put in an aggressive batter like McGurk in the team.
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