MASON Crane’s mentor has warned against burdening the young leg-spinner with too much expectation.

Crane was left out of the England squad for the first Test against the West Indies, which started at Edgbaston today.

He is expected to make his Test debut later in the series.

But Raj Maru, who recommended Crane to Hampshire after working with him in his role as cricket master at Lancing College, is wary of too much being expected of the 20 year-old.

He said: “He’ll have more bad days than good days, we’ve got to be patient with him.

“It’s about managing him properly, encouraging him and putting him in at the right time.

“To compare him with Imran Tahir and Shane Warne is wrong. Let’s do that in three or four years when he’s matured.”

Crane’s Specsavers County Championship record this year (16 wickets at 40.3) might not put him in this season's top bracket, but is more than respectable bearing in mind the conditions in which he has bowled.

“Up till the end of June the wickets were prepared for [Kyle] Abbott and [Gareth] Berg so he’s been trying to bowl leg-spin on seamers’ wickets,” continued Maru.

“He showed what he could do on a wicket that suited him at Taunton, when he bowled beautifully [and took a match-winning 5-40 in the final innings].”

Maru cites Adil Rashid’s nine Championship wickets at 51.3 for Yorkshire this year as another reason for Crane’s call-up.

“Rashid has eight or nine years’ experience but Mason’s stats this season are way ahead of his – more wickets and a better average, strike rate and economy rate,” continued Maru.

“I think Mason will soon end up playing the Tests and Rashid will play the limited-overs games. Mason is more comfortable bowling with fielders round the bat, he bowls with a lot more energy and his variations are more difficult for batsmen to pick up.”

Maru was not surprised by the decision to leave Crane out of England’s first day/night Test.

“After doing so well in Australia I thought he would play at least one Test against the West Indies, if he didn’t I would have been disappointed.

“But with all the talk about the pink ball swinging around corners I didn’t think he’d play in this one. I thought they’d go with an all-out seam attack, then include him in the last two matches of the series.

“It would be better for him to start with the red ball, but getting him involved for this one has been the right thing.

“He’s loved every minute in that environment.”