“I don’t say anything,because people have been asking me for the last five or six years about my future,” Warner told this masthead. “So it’s water off a duck’s back.”
Jake Fraser-McGurk with David Warner in Dubai.Supplied
Instead,Warner has spent much of the past few months mentoring Fraser-McGurk, from the moment he sent a Christmas Day text message to the 22-year-old suggesting they play together in the UAE’s ILT20 tournament after the Big Bash League.
That move opened the door for Fraser-McGurk to play for Delhi Capitals in the Indian Premier League as an injury replacement,where he now improved enough for him to fly to the Caribbean.
Between Delhi and Dubai,where Fraser-McGurk joined Warner on a trip where he got an MRI on his hand,the pair have developed an affinity. The older man can see something of his younger self in the brash Victorian youngster – they have discussed everything from Test cricket and the media spotlight to haircuts.
There are obvious comparisons to be made between the pair – box-office appeal and audacious instincts to name a couple – even if Warner thinks Fraser-McGurk will need to find a way to balance his aggression,as Warner did,if he wants to emulate him in becoming an all-format player for Australia.
Jake Fraser-McGurk hits another six.AP
But Warner believes that some of his most important advice to Fraser-McGurk,,has not been about technique or tactics. Rather,it is about finding a way to live with sound mental health and balance in the frantic worlds of franchise and international cricket.
“It can be challenging and extremely tiring,” Warner said. “We spoke about it in India,how to manage these things going forward. Whether to have a sibling,a friend,a parent or someone else there to break up the cycle when you’re there,so you’ve got a piece of home with you.
“Because it is very,very hard to do all this. And when you’ve got a group of ... 95 per cent of our team are pretty much married with kids,coming in as a young guy can be challenging. You are potentially locked in your room,doing nothing. Fortunately,we’ll be in the Caribbean,so you can go outside and have a nice swim and things like that.
“But the experience for him will be great and being around the guys and the group where potentially I feel like he’ll probably go on that England tour in late August.
Warner has previously said Fraser-McGurk has the mindset to succeed – a clear mind and the self-confidence to think he can hit every ball for four or six. Given the opportunity to cement his place,he has the potential to be a 10-year player for Australia.
“As a young kid,he understands what the game’s about,what it’s like to be around the group as a team player. He asks a lot of questions and he loves the game,which is great,” Warner said.
Warner’s last World Cup will be in much the same location as his first – the Caribbean islands where in 2010 he helped the Australian side get to the final where they lost to England,but then watched the women’s side win their own final.
More solidly built than he is now,the 23-year-old Warner’s belligerence was on display when he and Shane Watson pounded a young Ravindra Jadeja for six consecutive sixes between them,spread across two overs.
David Warner with Mitch Marsh at the 2021 T20 World Cup,won by Australia.Getty
“That was a special tour,” Warner said. “I’ve got some good memories of those wickets and how I played there as well,and hopefully I can replicate some success.”
Warner noted that the sea breezes at grounds in places like Barbados and St Lucia can have a big say on proceedings,while he also counselled against expectations of more huge scores like those seen in the IPL - there’s no impact player rule at the World Cup.
“Barbados and St Lucia have this big cross breeze across the ground,so there’s a lot of tactical stuff to it as well,” he said.
“The wickets can also be lower and slower,so you might not see 200-plus scores. “People talk about the IPL,but you’ve got an impact player there. So you take that out of the equation. When you’re up the top of the order you try to get a good start but if you lose early wickets you’ve got to play what’s in front of you and adapt.”
As for opening partner Travis Head,who wielded his bat like a cutlass for much of the IPL,Warner hoped there would be more runs to come in the fashion of last year’s ODI Cup final and victory over India in Ahmedabad.
“Hopefully he doesn’t waste too many more runs over there and can save some for us,” Warner joked.
“Hopefully he can finish his tournament off well there and bring some of that success to our team.”
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