Fraser-McGurk, 21 years old, is one of the most highly rated young batters in Australia. He made his ODI debut this week against West Indies, hitting 51 off 23 balls in his first two appearances, following up an impressive Big Bash League campaign in which he averaged 32 and struck at nearly 160 for Melbourne Renegades. He also made a world record List A hundred off 29 balls earlier in the season.

The right-hander has played just 13 first-class games, with one century and an average of 22 thus far. However, Ponting backed him to make a success of the longest format if given a chance. “When you’ve got that sort of talent you need to be exposed to cricket at the highest level to work it out,” he told reporters in Melbourne. “And I think Jake can do that yet. I’m definitely backing one day to play Test cricket.”

Ponting compared Fraser-McGurk’s talent to that of David Warner, the recently retired Australia opener who also received a swift promotion to the top level, making his T20I debut before he had played a Sheffield Shield game.

“I was on record at the start of the summer saying I think he’s someone that can be well and truly fast-tracked through the Australian system,” Ponting said. “Because the natural talent that he’s got reminds me a bit of David Warner’s introduction into Australian cricket. When we saw [Warner] at the start, I think everyone doubted whether he was going to be good enough to play Test cricket technically.

BOX OFFICE!

Jake Fraser-McGurk launches three over the fence in the over #AUSvWI pic.twitter.com/vGzaRRFrul

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) February 6, 2024

“But with the talent and the skill that he had, which I think Jake has got as much talent as what Davey had coming through, then I think the earlier they can get him into the system and get him playing and let him work out for himself the best way to have success in all the different formats, I think it will be great for Australian cricket.”

Warner, still active in T20I cricket, is established as one of the game’s great all-format openers, making 26 Test hundreds, 22 ODI hundreds and a T20I hundred. He has been replaced at the top of the order in Test cricket by Steve Smith, who, after a rocky start opening the batting, carried his bat in Australia’s defeat to West Indies.

Following a three-match T20I series against West Indies, Australia will travel to New Zealand for a T20I and Test tour.