Kieswetter relishes a second opportunity
ENGLAND wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter believes his unscheduled sabbatical from international cricket has helped him to come to terms with the standard of performance required of him.
The 23-year-old made a thrilling start to his England career by playing a pivotal role in clinching the World Twenty20 tournament last year, but lost his place in the limited overs set-up following a wretched run of form over the summer which ultimately cost him a place in the World Cup squad.
But after working hard over the winter with Lions batting coach and former England great Graham Thorpe, the South African-born star (below) has earned a deserved recall for the upcoming Twenty20 and one-day matches against Sri Lanka.
“I’m chuffed to bits to be back in the set-up after a bit of time out. It was the first yesterday today and I’m really excited,” he said.
“It was great to win the Twenty20 final but my performances against Australia and then Bangladesh at home didn’t warrant me being in the side.
“In international cricket, if you don’t perform, you get dropped. That is what happened to me.
“It was massively disappointing. I think once you get a taste of international cricket, to be dropped is a hard pill to swallow.
“But I think I’ve bounced back quite nicely. The winter has been good and it is great to be back in fold.”
Kieswetter has tightened up his game but without dispensing with the attacking skills that will be required in the shorter versions of the game.
He said: “I worked really hard with Graham Thorpe and Bruce French on the Lions trip and I’m really happy to be back.
“There have been a few things, a few technical issues and mental things I’ve worked on my batting with Thorpey and then with Frenchy on the wicket-keeping side.
“But I’m not going to change myself too much. I’m going to continue to be attacking.
“That’s my role, my natural game but I’m a lot more tighter, a lot more controlled with the way I play.”