Australian News – Where does he fit in – Hazlewood says Fraser-McGurk’s time will come

He said Fraser-McGurk had exceptional talent but sympathized with the Australian selectors given the depth in the squad.

“The way he does it is special, the ball hits,” said Hazlewood.

“Where do you put him? It’s very difficult to get into that top group with what we have there with the experience with Travis. [Head]Mitch [Marsh] and Davey [Warner] in the top three, then the middle order is the best.

“He’ll definitely get his time. He’s just young. He’ll be on the team soon, I think.”

Hazlewood said Smith was unlucky to miss out because of his ability to bat in spin situations and his leadership experience.

“Maybe someone like Marshy will miss being the captain and having another player on the field like Smudge [Smith] someone you can turn to anytime for advice,” said Hazlewood.

“Obviously his hitting and putting the ball. The situations that could have suited his game and it’s always like picking up the pieces from a bad start is his job, but I think the way we saw him beat the Sixers. [in the BBL]there’s room at the top, but again, you can’t fit everyone in.”

Hazlewood has been absent from the IPL this year having been a sought-after bowler in recent years. He was not picked up at the auction as he had set restrictions because he wanted to be at home when his son was born at the start of the tournament. He has been bowling while at home in the hope that he might be substituted for an injury in the IPL but the opportunity never presented itself.

But he is quietly happy to miss out on the carnage the bowlers have faced in the IPL and is not a fan of the Impact Player rule.

“The batsmen seem to be endless now, I’m not sure it’s a good rule of thumb,” said Hazlewood.

“You’ve got guys like Tim David at number eight, sometimes at number nine, and it seems like it’s never ending and you don’t feel like attacking and trying to get wickets in the powerplay because what’s the point if you’ve got those guys going into those eight and nine positions.

“It’s an interesting rule. Obviously, the crowd likes it. It’s 200-plus points every night and it’s good for hitters but it might need a little tweaking.”