Law urges Lewis to use natural bold approach in ODIs
KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – West Indies head coach Stuart Law wants to see Evin Lewis transfer his Twenty20 form and aggressive approach into the one-day format, after watching the opener’s scintillating hundred against India last Sunday.
Lewis struggled badly in the recent five-match oneday series against India, mustering a mere 67 runs from four innings at an average of 16.
However, he put his poor run of form behind him in the one-off T20 International at Sabina Park, blasting an unbeaten 125 off 62 deliveries to fire the Windies to a sensational nine-wicket win chasing a challening 191.
“Just the power-hitting [was amazing]. He picked his targets, he hit with the wind, he played all the right shots – he played good cricket shots as well,” Law told reporters.
“There weren’t any mad swings with the bat, it was all controlled aggression which we know Evin Lewis can do. I would like to see him do that in the 50-over format – that would be one hell of a way to start a 50-over game as well. Credit to the young man, he hasn’t gotten a big score yet this summer and to finish it off in style like that was a great achievement.”
Lewis’s career has been a tale of two formats. He struck a maiden hundred in only his second T20 International last year August also against the Indians before lashing 91 in April against the touring Pakistanis.
His performance on Sunday put him in elite company as one of only three batsmen with two international T20 hundreds – along with Chris Gayle and New Zealander Brendon McCullum.
Lewis has been less flattering in ODIs, despite a superb 148 against Sri Lanka in his fourth match last November. He has not passed fifty in 13 innings since and was especially off the boil against India.
But Law said he preferred if Lewis took the same bold approach in one-day cricket, and played his natural game.
“Batting for me is all about getting your body in a position to hit the ball in the area you’re strong at and Evin did that beautifully,” the Australian explained.
“It might be mental [issue] to carry that [attacking] mindset into the [one-day] game and also there is pressure – if you get out having a big whoosh in a 50-over game in the first three overs you look like a fool.
“I just want him to play cricket, I just want him to go out there and play his game. If he does get out in the first five overs it’s no issue for me because if he gets off to a good start, he can’t take the game away so I hope he continues like that.”