“Jake Fraser-McGurk’s innings against the West Indies – 41 off 18 balls – revealed a total game changer! The essence of his batting is simplicity itself – a boundary from every ball that’s bowled to him,” writes cricket tragic and columnist ROBERT MACKLIN.

Former Test batsman now cricket commentator, Mark Waugh recently declared that Canberra’s Manuka Oval has the best first-class batting wicket in the world. 

He should know, since he’s played them all. 

The wonderful irony is that the recent ODI game played there between the West Indies and Australia was the shortest ever. The visitors were skittled for a mere 86 runs in 30 overs while Australia passed that total in only seven overs. 

But however stunning the result, it actually took second place to the arrival of an Aussie batsman – Jake Fraser-McGurk – who will soon lead the change to cricket in all its formats – T/20, ODI and even the five-day test matches with their venerable and beloved history, will be over in three.

When Fraser-McGurk wielded his flashing blade, the sound of leather on willow was unique – a joyous whack so powerful that you just knew the ball was loving every second of its perfect journey up and over the boundary. And the time is fast coming when, with McGurk in the team, surrounded by similar up-and-comers, Australia will be unbeatable.

Big claims, I know, but I’ve had a passion for the game ever since I was eight. That’s when I changed Sunday schools from the Methodists to the Presbyterians because they had a Saturday morning team… and by the time I left Brisbane as a journalist for Canberra at 23 I was opening the batting for The Koalas (on my Sunday off) with partner Sam Trimble, the then Queensland cricket captain.

Today we already have the best captain in Pat Cummins heading the world’s best bowling attack. But Jake Fraser-McGurk’s innings against the West Indies – 41 off 18 balls – revealed a total game changer! The essence of his batting is simplicity itself – a boundary (whether 4 or 6) from every ball that’s bowled to him.

Born in 2002, he’s been playing for his native Victoria in the age teams since he was in year seven. He made his first-class debut in 2019, scoring a half century. And in October 2023, he hit the fastest ODI century in history – off a mere 29 balls!

He’s not the first to make that mental and physical leap. That honour probably goes to Adam Gilchrist halfway through his Test career. Then came David Warner and the freakish Glenn Maxwell who with 201 not out in an ODI in November, dragged his side from 7-91 all the way to 291. 

That trio might have led the way, but the Australian revolution is bigger than its early moving parts. A whole new approach to the game is cutting a swathe through teams at home and around the world. The crowds adore it, but it has divided the Australian team now in NZ into those marked yesterday and tomorrow. 

Even Steve Smith, one of our all-time greats, is now surplus to requirements. The little-known Ian David will take his place. The elegant Test keeper, Alex Carey will be replaced by a revolutionary Josh Inglis. Manus Labuschagne, two years ago named the world’s best batsman, is too “slow” even to be considered. The happy-go-lucky Travis Head is on a knife edge between the two eras. The new revolutionaries just keep getting better.

Overseas, India’s young Yashasvi Jaiswal could rise to similar heights; and NZ’s Rachin Ravindra has possibilities. But South Africa and Pakistan are trapped in tradition and not even England’s swaggering Ben Stokes could be confident of adapting to the Australian revolution. 

The British colonials had their faults, but at least in 1788 they gave us cricket. Now here’s my prediction: before the decade is out, Australia’s revolution will return it, totally reborn.

robert@robertmacklin.com