INTERVIEW: Batsman Levi hungry for runs as Northants get their season started

Richard Levi has backed head coach David Ripley’s intention to rotate the Northants squad in the Bob Willis Trophy when the cricket season starts on Saturday.
Richard Levi has been a big hit with the Steelbacks in the T20Richard Levi has been a big hit with the Steelbacks in the T20
Richard Levi has been a big hit with the Steelbacks in the T20

But the big-hitting South African also admits that, if push comes to shove, he won’t be volunteering to give up his batting spot.

That’s because Levi is determined to use the County’s red-ball programme in the first four weeks of August to get his eye in ahead of the Vitality T20 Blast which starts at the end of the month.

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Northants begin their first-class campaign on Saturday with a trip to Warwickshire, before three home games in a row against Somerset (August 8), Worcestershire (August 15) and Glamorgan (August 22).

Richard Levi wants to play in every Bob Willis Trophy match for NorthantsRichard Levi wants to play in every Bob Willis Trophy match for Northants
Richard Levi wants to play in every Bob Willis Trophy match for Northants

Known as a white ball specialist, Levi has previously declared that the red ball game is his favourite cricketing format, and he is keen to maximise his time at the crease when the 2020 season finally gets underway on Saturday.

Ripley has gone on the record to say that the T20 Blast is the club’s priority in what will be a truncated season due to the coronavirus pandemic.

He has said he will use the five matches in the first-class competition, called the Bob Willis Trophy, to give his entire squad some game time, and that is something Levi feels is a good move.

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“It is unprecedented times in terms of what we are dealing with, and obviously the nature of our sport means that guys aren’t given opportunities, because you are always trying to get your best XI out on the field,” said Levi.

“But as Rips has said, he will be giving opportunities, especially to some of the youngsters who might be on the fringes or wouldn’t normally necessarily get games, and even the guys who are trying to push for new contracts, or better deals or whatever.

“The opportunities are going to be there to put a marker down and work forward from there.”

Levi is one of a clutch of players whose contract expires this winter, and he is keen to extend his stay in Northampton.

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He can go a long way to doing that with some strong performances in both four-day and T20 cricket, and he believes the former is great groundwork for the latter.

“I have had the best T20 campaigns, or white ball campaigns, off the back of consistent four-day cricket,” said Levi, who played a key role in guiding the Steelbacks to the 2015 T20 final, and the title win the following year.

“It’s not about scoring runs or not, it is about the fundamentals being put in place.

“I know I am known for the hard hitting and finding boundaries and that sort of stuff, but there are some fundamental stepping stones to every single shot that I play.

“So you can’t beat time out on the middle.

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“I can bat in the nets for an hour and it’s not the same as match intensity, so I am looking forward to playing.

“If I am scoring runs then I don’t get part of the hamster wheel of giving guys opportunities, because I would like to play in all the games and go into the T20 as well prepared as possible.”

And for Levi, the T20 Blast is going to be what this summer is all about.

“I would say that for most of the guys, the T20 is what they are really looking forward to,” he said.

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“It means we are going to have something to play for which makes a difference, and it is a bit shorter than what we are used to, but that might work in our favour.

“We do sometimes dip in and out of momentum, and I think with the tournament being short and sweet we won’t have too much time to dwell on things if they don’t quite go our way.

“And then if we do get momentum, we are quite good at riding it, so hopefully we can start well, get on top of things, and go from there.”

Levi also believes Northants are in great shape for another T20 title challenge, with the retrurn to fitness of Ricardo Vasconcelos and the arrival of Netherlands fast bowler Brandon Glover - the leading wicket-taker in T20 internationals in 2019.

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“Now, it is not just the 11 we put on paper, we have 13 or 14 that so we can almost go horses for courses if we want to, or change and play around with things,” said Levi.

“Not having the two overseas players that would normally have is a massive loss, but it’s the same for everyone, and it’s not as if we don’t have the personnel to fill those gaps.”

Levi and the rest of the Northants batsmen have been back at work for close to a month now ahead of this weekend's first fixture, and he has enjoyed being back with his team-mates.

"It is still a bit of a weird one, because you are almost going through pre-season again," said the 32-year-old.

“But it is nice to not only have the physical contact with the guys again, but also getting out and talking a bit of rubbish rather than talking to a wall at home, so it has been good.”

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