Shane Warne believes Durham's Phil Mustard is the "best one-day batsman-keeper in England".
Warne compares Mustard to Aussie great Gilchrist
Shane Warne believes Durham's Phil Mustard is the "best one-day batsman-keeper in England".
The Dynamos opener helped propel his side to a 125-run victory over Hampshire in the Friends Provident Trophy final at Lord's over the weekend.
Mustard made a quickfire 49 on Saturday before being wrongly adjudged leg before wicket, and then helped Durham finish the job in the field on Sunday.
Rookie ready?
After witnessing the demolition first-hand, Hampshire skipper Warne now feels it fitting to compare the 24-year-old with the world's best.
"Mustard is the best one-day batsman-keeper in England," Warne said in The Times.
"He reminds me of a young Adam Gilchrist. He has the same high grip, hits the ball from backward point to widish mid-off, plays the short ball pretty well and has that effective shot to cow corner.
"I thought he might be vulnerable if I set two fielders close together at point instead of posting a cover. First ball, he hit between the pair of them.
"I can't remember whether I first saw Gilchrist at New South Wales or Western Australia, but he also had that same will to go for shots."
Despite the high praise, Mustard has yet to be given a chance to prove his talent in the international arena.
He will be watching the seven-match one-day international series between England and India starting live on
Sky Sports 1 from 2pm on Tuesday with intent though.
The selectors have indicated that the squad can be changed, and if Matt Prior fails to shine Mustard could well find himself thrown into the breach.
