The whole Sri Lankan unit has impressed the South African fielding legend Jonty Rhodes who was on a 10 day training camp but one man who has stood out is Jehan Mubarak.
Rhodes during his time has been training with A team and Under-19 players as well as the Sri Lanka National side and believed Mubarak could be an asset in the field in Tests. What has impressed Rhodes the most was the fact that the agility that Mubarak possesses for the tall cricketer.
“Mubarak for me is a guy who will be very, very useful in the gully or backward point area in Test cricket,” Rhodes said. “He’s only 6 foot 2 I think, but his arms make him about 6 foot 7. Too often taller players stand there and move their arms, but Mubarak can move as well and that’s key.
“If I give players five catches and they catch four out of four, they know the fifth one is a rocket. I don’t want a player to catch all five. I’m very competitive. So I tell them: ‘I’m going to go past you’. Whichever country I’m working with, I set up five metre goal posts, and this guy was catching balls a metre past the goal post. Nothing got past that I’ve seen – and I tried.”
“Age is not a barrier (for fielding). I’ve pulled two hamstrings but I have still been able to hit the stumps. If you can get around the field, that’s it. What is an old man these days?” Rhodes remarked – with a prime example in Mubarak who is 34 years old.
Mubarak is in contention for a recall to the National side after having played his last Test in 2007; and his past two domestic seasons where he has scored over thousand runs each at an average of over 80 speaks volumes.
