Smith has said that after concluding training, he feels mentally prepared for the Aussie challenge in the third Test starting Saturday. PHOTO: AFP
South Africa captain Graeme Smith expects an even contest between bat and ball to set up a thrilling finale in the series-deciding third Test against Australia at Newlands in Cape Town on Saturday.
The pitch has been a key factor in the opening two Tests, a lively pitch helping Mitchell Johnson bowl Australia to a 281-run win in the series opener in Pretoria and a slower and more abrasive surface in Port Elizabeth aiding South Africa to get prodigious reverse-swing and claim a 231-run win.
“It looks like a really good Test pitch and will have something for both bat and ball,” Smith told reporters on Friday.
“It can get a bit flat and slow towards the back end if it is hot, but it has also changed of late and there has been a bit more in it than in the past.”
The Proteas captain said he expected a different type of pitch to the one that saw Australia bowled out for 47 in their second-innings in 2011.
“I think the pitch has settled down quite a bit since then. That Test was also played in November just after winter.”
Smith denied that the South African team had asked Newlands curator Evan Flint for any specific type of pitch or that they had done so ahead of the second Test.
“Port Elizabeth has been exactly the same for the last 40 years; I’m amazed that so much was made of the wicket after the Test,” he said.
“We knew exactly what to expect down there and we were the team that adapted best to the conditions.”
Smith commends his form this season
Smith has scored 37 runs in four innings in the series, but felt in good form and was looking forward to playing on a ground where he averages 52 over his career.
“I feel like I have been batting well the whole season, it is just these last two games,”
He added, “However, my training has gone well, mentally I feel in a good space.”
Meanwhile, Proteas coach Russell Domingo said that Australia opener David Warner’s suggestion that AB de Villiers had been tampering with the ball in the second Test would add extra-motivation to the side.
“He is becoming a little bit of a rent-a-quote,” said Domingo. “My thoughts are strong and I will probably say something towards the end of the Test match. It’s sad that it took the gloss off a great Test win and a great performance.”
Published in The Express Tribune, March 1st, 2014.
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