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Fraser-McGurk has Renegades smiling again

3 minute read

The Renegades have finally broken their long losing spell, thanks to the unlikely combination of a Melbourne teenager and an Afghani veteran.

AARON FINCH
AARON FINCH Picture: Bradley Kanaris/Getty Images

Teenager Jake Fraser-McGurk was the shattered face of the Melbourne Renegades' season-long struggles on Tuesday - but just three days later he was the picture of sheer delight.

Fresh-faced Fraser-McGurk hadn't been able to mask his dismay while being comforted by captain Aaron Finch after he was left stranded on 11 not out in the Renegades' 60-run loss to the Adelaide Strikers.

Yet on Friday, the 18-year-old hit the winning runs with a ball to spare to turn the tables on the Strikers and snap the Renegades' seven-game losing streak.

"I had a chat with Finchy and they were getting around me... pretty disappointing coming off seven losses," Fraser-McGurk reflected.

"As we saw the other night, I got out there when we were chasing 15 an over and didn't have many wickets in the bank.

"We were in a much better position tonight.

"To turn it around, get a win on the board and hopefully get a roll going, it's just good to be back on the winners' list."

Youth meshed wonderfully with experience when Fraser-McGurk and Afghanistan's Mohammad Nabi, 36, combined for an unbroken 68-run stand to seal the much-needed victory.

"Nabi is a very experienced player and it was good to be out there with him," said Fraser-McGurk, who played for Australia at the Under-19 World Cup last year in South Africa.

"He's hard to understand sometimes but just taking his experiences while trying to develop my game and having that good partnership with him to seal it was unbelievable."

Still well shy of top-five pace, the 'Gades can finally see a glimmer of light at the end of what has been a long, dark tunnel."

At least we've got two wins this year, compared to one last year," Fraser-McGurk said.

"Things are slowly going in the right direction."

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