The IPL has reached the halfway point, and some of Australia’s best T20 players made headlines for a variety of reasons in the first half of the tournament. Here is how they fared over the last week.
Head’s hot streak bodes well for World Cup
Fraser-McGurk fires to get selectors thinking
What would have made the selectors sit up and take notice was Fraser-McGurk’s treatment of the in-form Cummins, thumping him for a six and a four. But more impressively, he launched six of his seven sixes off the spinners Washington Sundar and Mayank Markande. Admittedly, it was on a pristine batting strip. But he was able to take down Markande outside the powerplay three times with five men out before he holed out trying for a fourth as Capitals briefly gave themselves a chance to chase down even 267.
Warner wobbles; Maxwell’s unusual move
Warner’s form at present isn’t alarming, and he is still recovering from a finger injury that caused him to miss the match against Titans despite playing in Capitals’ most recent match against Sunrisers. But there’s no doubt Australia’s hierarchy would like him to recommit to the aggressive, fearless method he had in the ODI World Cup last year. Warner has not played an innings in this year’s IPL where he has struck at more than 149, in a tournament where the average scoring rate is above 150. In his last three innings, he has scored just 19 runs off 20 balls, including 12 dots, and been dismissed three times.
Meanwhile, Head is striking at 216 for the tournament and Fraser-McGurk is going at 222. Maximising the powerplay at the T20 World Cup is going to be crucial. Warner knows how to switch it on for the big occasion, and Australia would like him to get back to that brand at the back-end of the IPL.
Maxwell wasn’t selected again on Sunday night against Kolkata Knight Riders when Cameron Green was recalled to bat at No.5. With RCB’s tournament all but over, it will be intriguing to see if Maxwell can find his way back into the XI or whether they choose to use the remaining matches to develop some younger talent. But both Maxwell and Australia would almost certainly feel more comfortable ahead of the World Cup if he got some more game time and found a little bit of confidence with the bat.