‘He is not too far behind Andre Russell when he is striking the ball’- Brendon McCullum lauds Sheldon Jackson’s ball-striking ability

The 35-year old cricketer, Sheldon Jackson played four matches in the 2017 edition of the Indian T20 League. However, he didn’t get the opportunity to play a single game in the next four editions. Turning up for Kolkata in the ongoing edition, Jackson got the opportunity to be part of the playing XI from the very game itself. However, he got to bat at a very low position in the batting order.

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In the first match against Chennai, he came at number six and could only play three balls during his innings. In the next match against Bangalore, Jackson batted at number seven and scored 14 runs in 15 balls. However, he was superb behind the wickets. A lot of cricket pundits were impressed with his wicket-keeping skills in the two games.

However, in order to maintain the balance in the playing XI, he had to make way for Shivam Mavi in the third match. Kolkata head coach, Brendon McCullum, though, has hailed his big-hitting ability and is hopeful that the Kolkata wicket-keeper batsman will get more opportunities this year.

"Sheldon continues to get better and better. He is 35, but you wouldn’t know. His growth in the last two years has been significant. He has a good ball-striking ability. And very few players hit the ball as far as he does, he is not too far, if not the same, behind Andre Russell when he is striking the ball. I am sure with more opportunities, we will see a performance from Sheldon," the former New Zealand captain told reporters.

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Sheldon Jackson’s wicket-keeping skills have been lauded by cricket experts on numerous occasions. He took three catches against Bangalore and also stumped Shahbaz Ahmed at a crucial stage in the game. Brendon McCullum also hailed Jackson’s wicket-keeping skills and even went on to draw comparisons with MS Dhoni.

"The wicketkeeping skills have been superb. He has got an MS Dhoni sort of a feel about keeping; really fast hands, and an understanding of spin. He knows what the bowlers are doing. He is desperate to do well," said McCullum. Kolkata is currently at number two on the points table. They have managed to win 2 matches out of three matches and are slated to play their next game against Mumbai on Wednesday.