IPL 2022: "He doesn't get out and keeps wasting deliveries" - Piyush Chalwa calls for Kane Williamson's axing
Piyush Chawla wants SunRisers Hyderabad to drop their out-of-form captain Kane Williamson for the remainder of IPL 2022. He expressed disappointment that the New Zealand international "keeps wasting deliveries" which puts his opening partner Abhishek Sharma and the rest of the team under pressure in high-scoring chases.
Williamson has scored 208 runs from 12 games this season. He has averaged 18.91 and his strike rate has been a major cause of worry at just 92.86. This has resulted in regular poor starts at the top, which is one of the reasons why the team is reeling at No. 7 in the IPL points table and is dependent on other IPL teams' results to qualify.
Making the case for his snub ahead of the SunRisers' clash against Mumbai Indians on Tuesday, Piyush Chawla told ESPNcricinfo:
"Whenever they've gone for 180+ scores, the batting has looked clueless. A major reason for that is the opening partnership. When you are chasing 180+, the opening partnership is very important. Here, Abhishek Sharma is batting really well but he isn't getting the support of Kane Williamson. He tries to play the big shots by Kane Williamson takes up so many deliveries - he doesn't get out and keeps wasting deliveries."
The fifth-highest wicket-taker in the IPL added that the SunRisers should make changes when they still have a mathematical chance to qualify and hope that the player coming in will show better form than the "off-color" skipper. Chawla said:
"There comes a time when you think 'Yes we made him the captain but it's high time we made a change.' Because you won't get any more opportunities now and you still have a mathematical chance to qualify. If a batter is completely out of form, you can give him a break and bring in someone else in his place. It's possible that the new batter will be in a different form because Kane Williamson is looking completely off-color."
Is Kane Williamson the worst retention of all time? 14 crore for 200 odd runs in 12 games at a SR of 92.
What makes it worse is the fact that he was coming back from a long injury layoff, so the poor run isn't even a surprise.
If Williamson is dropped, the SunRisers could look at bringing in Glenn Phillips to the fold. Phillips could play a role similar to what Liam Livingstone is doing at Punjab Kings. He is an excellent striker of the ball, can play at any position, boasts a strike rate of 140 in T20Is and could also contribute with some handy spin.
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Rahul Tripathi can open, and Kane Williamson should learn from Kumar Sangakkara: Piyush Chawla
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When asked how the team will accumulate a new batter, Chawla said the current No. 3, Rahul Tripathi, could move up top. He also cited the example of Sri Lankan great Kumar Sangakkara, who while captaining the now-defunct Decan Chargers in 2012 dropped himself from the playing 11 mid-way through the season. He remarked that Williamson should have no qualms in doing the same.
Chawla explained:
"See, [Aiden] Markram is driving the game brilliantly in the middle overs so I don't think there'a any need to flirt with his batting spot. If you talk about Rahul Tripathi, you can play him as an opener, he has done that many times before and is a top-order batter as well. You can then bring another overseas batter at No. 3 or in the middle-order."
He added:
"It won't be the first time that an overseas captain will give himself a break. A few years ago Sangakkara did it as well. Kane Williamson is a batter of similar quality, so sometimes when form isn't going your way, you should have no qualms in taking a break."
The SunRisers' clash against the Mumbai Indian will kick off at 7:30 pm IST on May 17.