Johannesburg – Cape Cobras' coach Paul Adams has called for a positive response from struggling opener Richard Levi as they prepare for Saturday's domestic T20 cricket clash with the Warriors at St George's Park in Port Elizabeth.
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 Titans.
“He's probably a bit low on confidence at the moment,” Adams said.
“It is important how he picks himself up and goes about things in the next couple of days.”
However, with Levi boasting a good record in Twenty20 cricket, Adams was happy to keep giving the 25-year-old opportunities and hoped the batsman would bounce back.
“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 would assess conditions and the 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 Warriors' 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 Knights was Lundi Mbane, who took one 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,” Botha said.
“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.
The action starts at 6pm and will be broadcast live on SuperSport 2. – Sapa