IPL 2023: Lucknow coach Morkel pleased with Mayers’ scintillating form

Chennai: Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) bowling coach Morne Morkel lauded Kyle Mayers, who has scored back-to-back fifties, for being in a scintillating form in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 and said it would be a “selection headache” with Quinton de Kock joining the team in coming days.

After smashing 73-run against Delhi Capitals (DC) in LSG’s first match, the West Indian hit 53 runs off 22 against the Super Kings, including eight fours and two sixes on Monday.

However, Mayers’ half-century went in vain as LSG suffered a 12-run loss at the hands of Chennai Super Kings at the MA Chidambaram Stadium.

126 runs

With 126 runs from two games at an average of 63, Mayers is currently second in the list of leading run-scorers in IPL 2023.

The left-hander was not first choice player for LSG but he got the opportunity in absence of De Kock and grabbed it with both. De Kock will be available for Lucknow’s next game after finishing international duties but with Mayers doing well, it will be interesting to see whether South African plays or not.

“I played with him (Mayers) a little bit at the St Lucia Zouks back in the day and it’s amazing to see him move on and progress into a quality white-ball player. I saw him in Durban playing these sorts of innings upfront and he really puts the bowlers under a lot of pressure.

It’s great to see him in top form. We have got Quinton de Kock coming in a day or two and it has to be a selection headache. It’s fantastic to see Mayers firing and playing well upfront,” Morkel said in a post-match press conference.

The South African further spoke about Mark Wood, who was taken to cleaners in the match against Chennai Super Kings, and feels that the English pacer is still finding his feet in the IPL.

Wood has experienced both ends of the spectrum in this year’s IPL. He made a remarkable start by taking five wickets against Delhi Capitals and he has been quite expensive in Chennai, where he was hit around the park by the CSK batters.

“There’s a lot to like about Mark Wood’s bowling. He is running in. He is bowling in the 150s. He is bowling that aggressive length. He is a strike bowler for us,” Morkel said.

Tough margins

“For me, it is essential to sit with him and work out what we are going to expect from certain surfaces. It is only his third game in the IPL. In his first game (a couple of years ago), he played for Chennai. I think it was quite expensive, then he played the previous night against Delhi Capitals in Lucknow and took a fantastic five-for, so he is still finding his feet in the sub-continent, especially in the IPL where the margins are tough.

For me it’s just talking through different periods where he is possibly going to bowl in, making sure he is clear with his plans, but one thing about Woody is that he has won a World Cup, he has got a lot of experience he has played for years with the England team, and he knows that there is no recipe for success. My advice to him so far is to not overthink about playing in the IPL. He is picked for a reason, “ he added.

The Super Giants will next take on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their next game on April 7 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow.