SA paceman Lizaad Williams to add extra beef to Delhi Capitals' pace attack

Simon Lewis

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Last updated: 08 Apr 2024

Simon Lewis 08 Apr 2024

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SA paceman Lizaad Williams has signed for the Delhi Capitals for his first IPL stint.
Williams replaces England batter Harry Brook who has left due to a bereavement.
Delhi Capitals are bottom of the IPL table after losing four of their first five games.

Lizaad Williams bowling against India. (credit: Phill Magakoe / AFP via Getty Images)

Lighting-fast Lizaad Williams signs for Delhi Capitals

Williams will be playing in the IPL for the first time after Delhi signed him for 50 lakh, which translates to roughly R1.1-million. The 30-year-old has been called up in place of England batsman Harry Brook, who has withdrawn from the IPL due to the recent death of his grandmother.

Brook has enjoyed a sensational run of form in Test cricket, averaging 62.15 after his first 12 Tests at a strike rate of 91.76. He has scored 544 runs in T20Is at a strike rate of 144.68.

Bowling heavy squad

Williams will be competing for game time against a stellar line-up of pacemen, including his Proteas pace partner Anrich Nortje. Also in the squad are Ishant Sharma, Khaleel Ahmed, Jhye Richardson and Mukesh Kumar, along with two fast bowling allrounders – Mitchell Marsh and Sumit Kumar.

Williams has two Tests for South Africa under his belt, along with four ODIs and 11 T20Is. He was selected for South Africa's 2023 Cricket World Cup ODI squad, playing just one match against Bangladesh. During the recent SA20 competition, WIlliams finished fourth in the wicket-takers list, snapping up 15 wickets for the Joburg Super Kings.

His average in T20s is 19.76, having picked up 106 wickets from his 83 matches.

Capitals' lineup of batting stars

The Capitals’ batters include Tristan Stubbs, David Warner, Rishabh Pany and Prithvi Shaw, but the absence of Marsh will put pressure on the top order. Considering the Capitals’ position at the bottom of the table the team might have benefitted from additional batting resources.

Marsh is out with a hamstring injury, which further impacts the team’s chance of scoring enough runs to win a match. The decision to replace the runs-heavy Brook with Williams is baffling most pundits, as the side has been struggling for consistent runs, although Brook has not played in the IPL yet this season.