Fraser-McGurk Gets Chance as Short Ruled Out of West Indies T20Is

Australian opener Jake Fraser-McGurk has been included in the T20I playing XI for the first match against the West Indies. This comes as Matt Short was ruled out of the series due to a minor side strain.

Short, who has a record of 293 runs and seven wickets in 14 T20Is for Australia, experienced soreness after training in Jamaica. He has been sent back home. Short had a successful Major League Cricket (MLC) stint with the San Francisco Unicorns, scoring 360 runs in eight matches.

Fraser-McGurk, who had a mixed MLC season with 275 runs in 11 matches, now has an opportunity to secure his place in the T20I line-up. He gained attention with a record-breaking century in List A cricket and made his debut against the West Indies last year. He also had a notable Indian Premier League (IPL) season. However, he has struggled to maintain consistency in international and franchise cricket since then. In seven T20Is, he has scored 113 runs. He was a late addition to the tour, replacing Spencer Johnson.

Mitchell Owen will be making his international debut during the first T20I. He had a strong MLC season with Washington Freedom.

Tim David has been rested, still recovering from an injury. All-rounder Cooper Connolly will bat at number seven.

Short is expected to return for the home white-ball matches against South Africa.

Also absent from this T20I series are Test players Travis Head, Alex Carey, and the fast-bowling trio of Pat Cummins, Mitch Starc, and Josh Hazlewood.