Cape Cobras coach Paul Adams has called for a positive response from struggling opener Richard Levi as they prepare for Saturday’s RAM SLAM T20 clash with the Warriors at Axxess St George’s.
Levi missed the first half of the franchise season due to back problems and has made a nightmare start to the Twenty20 competition, registering consecutive ducks and dropping an important catch in Thursday’s defeat to The Unlimited Titans.
However, with Levi boasting an exciting record in Twenty20 cricket, Adams is happy to keep giving the 25-year-old opportunities and hopes he will bounce back strongly.
“I think he’s probably a bit low on confidence at the moment. It is important how he picks himself up and goes about things in the next couple of days,” Adams said. “It’s important that he gets mentally tough in the situation he’s in, because he’s definitely a match-winner and you never know what day he’s going to fire.”
The Cobras squad enjoyed a recovery day on Friday as they flew to Port Elizabeth, where Adams will assess conditions and players’ fitness before making a call on selection.
They will face a tough opponent on Saturday in the shape of the Warriors, who have bowled themselves to successive victories.
“The bowlers have been exceptional,” said coach Piet Botha. “We’ve had our plans in place and the guys who needed to bowl certain balls at certain times have got it spot-on.”
Arguably the star of the show in Wednesday’s win over the Chevrolet Knights was Lundi Mbane, who took 1 for 11 in three ‘death’ overs.
“I wasn’t surprised at all - he’s 31 years old, he’s an experienced cricketer and he’s probably settled in his game now, which is why we selected him,” said Botha. “We knew what he was capable of and he produced on the big stage, which will be good for his confidence.”
The Warriors are likely to field an unchanged side for Saturday’s game, with Colin Ingram still a week away from recovery.
James Buttler
As the editor of World Cricket Badger he is intent on building the website to give quality coverage of the domestic game around the world.
He is also the presenter of the Cricket Badger Radio Show on Radio Yorkshire every Tuesday evening between 7-9pm UK time.
James was the full-time Media Manager at Yorkshire County Cricket Club between 2007 and 2010.
James is a published author, a writer/video contributor to many cricket publications and a complete cricket badger!
Latest posts by James Buttler (see all)
- #CWC15: South Africa geared up for tight Sri Lanka contest - March 16, 2015
- #UAE15: Bon voyage Derbyshire as Champions Yorkshire land in Abu Dhabi - March 13, 2015
- Sussex sign Mahela Jayawardene for NatWest T20 Blast - March 13, 2015
