A MONTH after expressing his unease at the rush to push Phil Mustard into the England squad, Dale Benkenstein has endorsed the Durham gloveman’s international call-up. But the 33-year-old is adamant his team-mate is not ready for Test cricket yet. Mustard was yesterday added to England’s party for October’s one-day series in Sri Lanka after Matt Prior fractured his right thumb at the World Twenty20. Vikram Solanki will continue to keep wicket in that tournament, allowing Mustard to play in tomorrow’s crucial final County Championship game at Kent. Benkenstein struck a note of caution when the Mustard bandwagon began to grow pace after his quick-fire 49 in August’s Friends Provident Trophy final. “I would like to see him keep doing what he’s doing for a while yet,” said Benkenstein. “Even in one-day cricket he needs to learn how to finish innings.” While Benkenstein has changed his mind about Mustard’s one-day readiness, he still believes the 24-year-old from Sunderland cannot yet think about donning the Three Lions in Test cricket. “We’re obviously very happy for him,” said Benkenstein, who played 23 ODIs for South Africa. “The way he’s consistently performed they probably could have done with him in the Twenty20. He thoroughly deserves the call-up and I hope he takes his opportunity.” Quite apart from his much-improved wicket-keeping, which has claimed more Championship victims than anyone, the statistics show Mustard as Prior’s obvious replacement as an opener. He was the highest scorer in this season’s Friends Provident Trophy and Pro40 League and made 1,047 limited-over runs this summer at 47.59. “In one-day cricket he’s the most exciting prospect in the country at the moment and he hasn’t just done it with the bat, he’s probably one of the best keepers in the country. “But it’s definitely something he’s got to continue working on. His all-round game has to improve but he’s maturing as a person. “Technically he will be fine, the biggest test will be of his temperament. Prior made one or two mistakes and having been hailed as a great selection, three weeks later he’s under pressure. “But when he’s batting he really does focus on the next ball and plays the same way no matter what the situation. My main reason for saying what I did was I believe everybody has their time and you don’t want to be disappointed when you’re playing well but don’t get picked. “As a total cricketer he has work to do on his game. At four-day level he hasn’t quite mastered his method from a batting point of view. It’s a lot easier to learn at county than Test level.” | 
