Commonwealth Games Gold medallist Mark Lewis-Francis insists Marlon Devonish's London 2012 relay place should remain untouchable - despite the Coventry sprinter extending his individual medal drought this year.

Devonish last landed a major solo gong when he claimed European 200m bronze at the European Championships in Gothenburg four years ago - with his last PB coming over 100m a year later.

While the individual podium places have dried up, the 34-year-old has established himself as a pivotal part of the relay squad which has claimed nine medals from the World and European Championships, Commonwealths, and Olympic Games.

And after joining forces with Devonish to take the Commonwealth 4x100m title in Delhi last month, Lewis-Francis admits the Coventry Godiva sprinter's inclusion will be crucial to claiming a second Olympic gold on home soil.

"Marlon is like the energiser bunny, he just keeps going and going and I don't see anything stopping him for the foreseeable future," said Lewis-Francis.

"I have shared a lot of medals with Marlon in the relay - and we have only messed up twice in our whole career.

"Marlon makes the job easy on the relay and we have been doing it since 2004 so I wouldn't want to see that changed before the London Olympics.

"I'm sure he was hoping for an individual medal this year and probably seeing me and Christian and Leon was hard. I just hope he is there in 2012."

Lewis-Francis bounced back from a bungled changeover with Devonish at the European Championships to chase down Jamaican Remaldo Rose and power England to Commonwealth relay gold.

And after conjuring the ghost of the 2004 Olympic Games triumph, the European and Commonwealth silver medallist is adamant neither he nor Devonish should fear a Jamaican outfit bolstered by world record holder Usain Bolt.

"I think we proved at the Commonwealths that we have a good relay team and we proved in Athens that we are capable of winning gold," added Lewis-Francis.

"We beat the Jamaican team at the Commonwealths and while their team will be stronger in two years so will ours, so I wouldn't write us off.

"We have a good understanding on the relay I know things didn't go well at the Europeans but that was my fault not his; I was just trying to be too safe.

"I don't think we have seen the last of Marlon by a long way. He will always keep going and he still has a tremendous amount of talent."

By David Jordan, Sportsbeat