A WEEK after telling The Journal how much he learned from playing against Chris Gayle, Durham captain Phil Mustard has been given the chance to open with the former West Indies skipper in the latest addition to cricket's Twenty20 calendar.
Mustard has signed up for the Bangladesh Premier League – their version of India’s IPL – for this spring, and will play for Barisal Burners.
The 29-year-old wicketkeeper- batsman is set to form a potentially explosive opening partnership with the big-hitting Gayle.
Gayle and Ryan ten Doeschate were the two batsmen Mustard singled out as Twenty20 role models after playing against them in Zimbabwe’s pre-Christmas Pro20 competition.
“To be out there and see Chris Gayle bat was amazing,” the former England limited-overs international said last week.
“I learned a lot from that.”
Mustard’s performances for the Mountaineers – including top-scoring as they beat ten Doeschate’s Mashonaland Eagles in the final – were a big factor in securing him a place at the inaugural Bangladesh tournament. The Sunderland-born player went unsold in last week’s IPL-style auction, but the Burners have since asked him to fill their final overseas slot.
Although Bangladesh is far from being one of cricket’s traditional powerhouses, the BPL has the backing of Indian television, and will feature an array of big names. Australia’s Brad Hodge will be another Burners team-mate, and Shahid Afridi, Kieron Pollard, Saeed Ajmal, Herschelle Gibbs, Sanath Jayasuriya, Imran Tahir, Dwayne Bravo, Shoaib Malik and Muttiah Muralitharan were among the other global stars snapped up at auction.
Durham will miss Paul Collingwood for the first half of the season because of the all-rounder’s involvement in a range of worldwide domestic Twenty20 competitions, including the blue riband IPL.
Mustard’s involvement, though, will not clash with his Durham commitments. The BPL begins on February 10, and runs until February 29.
The six-franchise competition mirrors the IPL format, and the winners qualify for the Champions League Twenty20 competition.
The Riversiders’ first competitive game of the season is at home to Nottinghamshire in the County Championship. The game starts on April 12.
Two other former Durham players will be taking part in the tournament. Khulan Royal Brengals picked up West Indian Shivnarine Chanderpaul in the auction, while Scotsman Kyle Coetzer was a $25,000 addition to Chittagong’s squad.
