Victory a big booster for Tuks

Batting sensation Richard Levi will return home from New Zealand this week, as originally planned, Cricket SA said this morning. Levi, 24, raced to a record century off 45 balls and smashed 13 sixes for his unbeaten 117, guiding South Africa to an eight-wicket win over the Black Caps in only his second international match in Hamilton on Sunday. Convenor of selectors Andrew Hudson said the opener would not stay on after calls for Levi to be included in the ODI squad. “Levi’s batting performance was fantastic – one of the best I have watched,” Hudson said. “We hope that he can continue in the same way for the Cobras in the T20 Challenge back home. He’s an exciting prospect and he will be monitored and nurtured accordingly. His time will come.” South Africa face New Zealand in the first of three ODIS in Wellington on Saturday. MISSING key penalties for Ghana in successive tournaments has left Asamoah Gyan “psychologically down” and wanting a break from the national team, the striker said on Twitter yesterday. Gyan, who missed penalties during the 2010 World Cup quarter-finals and this year’s African Nations Cup semi (both of which ended in defeat for the Black Stars against Uruguay and Zambia respectively), used the social network to explain his decision to suspend his international career but said he would be keen to play in the future. “Psychologically I’m down. It’s been very hard for me mentally to miss important successive penalties for my country,” he said on his account @asamoah_gyan. “And because of this, a break to recoup my thoughts and emotions will aid me to come back bigger and mentally stronger. I would like to ask for prayers and support from Ghanaians to help me come back with renewed strength to continue serving my country.” NEW AFRICAN champions Zambia want to return to the site of this month’s Nations Cup triumph and play a friendly in Libreville on February 29. “For us Gabon is a special place. Firstly we would like to go and thank the people there, they looked after us very well,” Zambia FA spokesman Enock Mwanza said. “We won our first African cup there. We lost an entire team there,” he said in a reference to their Nations Cup final triumph against Ivory Coast on February 12 and the 1993 air crash in Libreville where 18 players from the Zambian squad died. LIBYAN soccer fans came out to cheer the first international matches played in the North African country since the conflict that ousted Muammar Gaddafi amid hope Monday’s games would be the start of many more to come. CSKA Sofia, the 31-times Bulgarian champions, were the first foreign team to play in Libya after the uprising against Gaddafi’s rule erupted last February. Although the “Benina Martyrs” Stadium in the eastern city of Benghazi was not full, about 1,000 Libyans came to support the two home sides playing, Al Ahli Tripoli and Al Nasr Benghazi. Waving the red, green and black flag of Libya’s new National Transitional Council, the crowd watched three 45-minute games, cheering loudly when Al Ahli Tripoli beat Sofia 1-0. The Bulgarians went on to beat Al Nasr Benghazi 1-0 in the second match. Al Nasr Benghazi then beat Al Ahli Tripoli 1-0. FORMER world No 1 Caroline Wozniacki hit back at Martina Navratilova yesterday for claiming that the Dane had never deserved to be top of the world rankings. Wozniacki also suggested she has lost respect for Navratilova and implied her TV commentating sought to stir things up and that it would be better to “think a little bit”. TOURNAMENT organisers say Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova, French Open winner Li Na and Vera Zvonareva have pulled out of the Dubai Championships because of illness and injury. Last week, Zvonareva retired from the Qatar Open because of pain in her left lip, while Kvitova pulled out with an unspecified injury. CHRIS Gayle arrived last night in Durban to play for the Dolphins. He will be undergoing medical examination today for the injury of his groin muscle last week. “Once the medical examination isment of when Chris is available to play for us”, said Jesse Chellan, CEO of KZNCU.– SapaAfp/ap/reuters