Levi’s form sparks opening debate – Cricket News Update
After an eventful time with the bat in the recently concluded NatWest T20 series against England, Richard Levi’s poor run has sparked debate over his place in the national side ahead of the World T20 in Sri Lanka, with former South African great Peter Kirsten offering concerns over the crucial opening position.
Managing just nine in three games, Levi has failed to live to his billing as a fearsome striker of the new ball since his blistering ton against New Zealand earlier in the year. His record breaking century, which came off 45 balls, also saw him clobber 13 sixes, a record in international T20.
However, since that 117-run knock, Levi has struggled to match the expectations of his bosses, be it his home domestic side, national team or his Indian Premier League outfit, Mumbai Indians.
Expectations still remain high from the youngster but his recent failures have put a question mark over his ability to adapt to various conditions and handle diverse bowling attacks. Kirsten however, feels that there remains a technical blip in the 24-year-old’s technique.
"I really feel for Richard Levi actually, he seems to have a small technical fault," Peter Kirsten, former South Africa batsman, told ESPNcricinfo. "He tends to play across the line early on and of course everyone expects him to hit boundaries every second ball."
Kirsten, a prolific domestic run-getter during the 70s and 80s, was also quick to praise the experienced duo of Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis, both of whom remain key members for the Proteas outfit in all formats of the game. With Levi failing to emulate his earlier touch, Kirsten reckons that the team could opt for conventional style of pairing upfront, with skipper AB de Villiers coming to support at no.3.
"Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis have shown that if you play good cricket strokes, you can still score quickly," Kirsten said. “The alternative is that Levi is dropped altogether and South Africa opt for a more old-school pairing in Amla and Kallis.”
The Proteas still have a warm-up game against New Zealand to search for their best opening combination, before taking on Zimbabwe in their first group game on September 20.
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