Monday musings

What a terrific player is Azhar Mahmood!

I got home tonight in time to catch the wickets he took for Auckland against the Kolkata Knight Riders and then admired a beautifully crafted innings that took his side to an easy victory over the Indian side.

I was especially pleased as I've adopted the New Zealand side for the tournament. They have few stars, Mahmood and Martin Guptill apart, although Lou Vincent got them off to a flyer tonight that was very much the springboard for success. Guptill gave it away tonight and will have been disappointed to get out as he did, but Mahmood looked a player of the very highest class. He has to be carefully placed in the field these days, but any 38-year old would need to be. He bowls canny overs and, at number three, gives you a player with the shots to build up the score in the Powerplay and the savvy to knock it around thereafter.

It was a very good, very professional effort and he's now won them successive matches with superb all-round cricket. You really cannot ask for more.

At the other end of the scale I got my first real look at the prodigiously talented South African Quinton de Kock over the weekend. At 19 he is an extraordinary talent, though some of his current impact is because he is largely unknown. He can certainly hit a cricket ball and I like the way that his coach lets him do his own thing. In 23 first class innings he averages nearly 64, while an average of 38 in T20 is equally remarkable. De Kock looks certain to be wicket-keeper batsman for South Africa for a long time, perhaps the most surprising thing in his fledgling career being a somewhat ineffectual Under 19 World Cup.

I've seen a suggestion on the Forum recently of a possible move for the lad in next year's T20, but that is unlikely to happen as he won't qualify for a visa, given no international experience at senior level. There's also a world of difference in the wickets between England and South Africa, though I'm sure some discerning club, as opposed to county side might pick up a gem, at the same time as he widens his cricket knowledge. Asking someone of such tender years to be your professional at county level is a massive risk, as Yorkshire fans will recall with an even more precociously talented player called Tendulkar 20 years or so back. It didn't work with him and I cannot think of many lads who could handle the pressure of such a role with minimal experience.

Elsewhere today, Sussex have picked up the experienced Scott Styris for T20 again. After his displays for them last year it is hardly surprising and the likes of Styris and Mahmood lend additional credence to my assertion that experience is a massive asset in T20. I accept that Rana Naved didn't come off for us last year, but the major players in T20 are generally the ones with a few summers and plenty of matches under their belt.

Finally tonight, I'm sure everyone's thoughts are with Martin Crowe, who, it has been revealed, is fighting lymphoma, a form of cancer that attacks the immune system. Crowe was one of the best half dozen batsmen that I have seen and rarely looked hurried, awkward or in trouble at the crease. He had a lot of injuries, especially knee problems, in his career, yet still averaged 56 and a score over 50 in less than every third innings. By any standards he was a special talent and I am sure that everyone wishes him the best in his battle for good health.