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Natwest series 2008 :Proteas aim for top spot in ODIs

Dravid

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'Chronic' injury rules Smith out from final 3 matches of Natwest ODI series As if South Africa don't have enough to worry about in the ODI series, skipper Graeme Smith will now be forced to miss the final three matches. More... 'Chronic' injury rules Smith out Patrick Compton August 28 2008 at 07:53AM As if South Africa don't have enough to worry about in the ODI series, skipper Graeme Smith will now be forced to miss the final three matches with chronic tennis elbow. The South African team, currently 2-0 down in the limited-overs series, has been badly hit by injury on this tour, with Dale Steyn missing two Tests, while the Morkel brothers have had time out in the ODI series, with Morné still not assured of playing in tomorrow's third ODI at the Oval. Pressure has suddenly fallen on the shoulders of the team's physiotherapist, Shane Jabaar. "Graeme picked up the injury during the IPL tournament earlier this year, but he also tore a hamstring. "He had five weeks out of the game which helped both injuries, but we weren't told how serious the tennis elbow was. During our first tour match at Taunton it flared up while he was batting in the nets, and our job has been to somehow keep him on the field for the rest of the tour," he said. Jabaar said that, ironically, it was Smith's match and series-winning innings at Edgbaston, in which he struck an unbeaten 154 in five hours and 41 minutes, that effectively "drilled a nail right through his elbow". "We'd been giving him pain-killers and anti-inflammatories, as well as icing and acupuncture, but that innings, which was far longer than we expected, effectively nailed him." This makes Smith's innings even more impressive than it seemed at the time. No wonder the South African captain said after the match that it was the greatest innings of his career, not to mention his greatest moment as the Proteas clinched their first away Test series in England since 1965. His tennis elbow had still not been revealed to the media, until the T20 international was cancelled at Chester-le-Street. Only then did the news leak out. Jabaar said Smith would see a specialist in London today, and it was hoped to begin treatment with a cortisone injection, the "first step in a conservatively managed protocol" designed to get him fit for the tour to Australia in December. The physio said tennis elbow was not easy to overcome, describing it as a "chronic injury" and "a beast", and warned that while Smith was likely to make a full recovery before the tour to Australia, it was far from "guaranteed". Hashim Amla is set to replace Smith as Herschelle Gibbs's opening partner, while the new captain of the team will be announced today. The two most experienced players are Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher and the choice will probably be between those two, with Boucher the favourite.

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Kallis replaces injured Smith as South Africa captain Jacques Kallis will take over from the injured Graeme Smith as South Africa captain for the third one-day international against England, coach Mickey Arthur said on Thursday. South Africa need to win Friday's match at the Oval to keep the series alive after being thrashed by 10 wickets in the second ODI at Nottingham on Tuesday but Smith will be absent due to a persistent elbow problem. More... Kallis replaces injured Smith as South Africa captain August 28, 2008 20:01 IST Jacques Kallis [images] will take over from the injured Graeme Smith [images] as South Africa [images] captain for the third one-day international against England [images], coach Mickey Arthur said on Thursday. South Africa need to win Friday's match at the Oval to keep the series alive after being thrashed by 10 wickets in the second ODI at Nottingham on Tuesday but Smith will be absent due to a persistent elbow problem. "Graeme, from the last test match and the start of the one dayers, has been pretty much playing on borrowed time with his elbow unfortunately," Arthur told Sky Sports News. "He tried to battle it out as much as he could but after Trent Bridge we just realised he couldn't go any more," he added. "We are going to rest and rehab Graeme and get him ready for the start of our home series which is Bangladesh in November and then Australia [images]. Graeme needs the time off now."

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Arthur looks to new SA era South Africa will dispense with mere damage limitation at Lord's on Sunday and instead try to launch a 'new era'. More... Arthur looks to new SA era 31/08/2008 6:40:10 AM PA Sport South Africa will dispense with mere damage limitation at Lord's on Sunday and instead try to launch a 'new era'. 00025997-image.jpg The statement of intent comes from coach Mickey Arthur, exasperated by his team's sudden and telling loss of form against a resurgent England in the NatWest Series. The tourists' impressive limited-overs record has gone AWOL over the past week, culminating at The Oval on Friday in a second successive landslide defeat at the hands of Kevin Pietersen's England. With the series already gone and a possible whitewash looming, Arthur has already made it clear no one - not even those players most closely associated with South Africa's long run of success - can consider their places safe from now on. While England is reinventing itself as a force to be reckoned with near the top of the one-day international rankings, Arthur has challenged his charges to make a much-needed gear shift. "It's up to the youngsters in the next two games to stick their hands up and stake a claim," said Arthur, whose once formidable squad has been depleted by a clutch of high-profile retirements and most recently captain Graeme Smith's absence through injury. "I've got a dressing room that is a little bit down in confidence. But we'll sit down and hammer home the basics again. "It's up to us to bring those [young] guys forward as quickly as we possibly can and the starting point for me is Lord's. "That could be the starting point of a new generation for the South African one-day side. That's how we've got to look at it, and how I'm trying to package it." Realist Arthur is retaining his optimism too, but knows there has been a major gulf between South Africa and their opponents, who prevailed by 10 wickets at Trent Bridge and 126 runs at The Oval to charge into a 3-0 lead. "I've been very disappointed by how England have outplayed us in all three disciplines, how we haven't applied the basics enough," Arthur admitted. "That's my major worry, and that is up to us as a coaching staff to get right. I see that as a major challenge for my management team now. "If we can see this as a challenge and get the team moving to where we want it, I am really looking forward to the next couple of months." Arthur is loath to look for excuses for South Africa's dramatic downturn in ODIs, acknowledging their Test series win over England took its toll but preferring to look ahead to what he and his developing team can achieve. "It was a very, very special Test series victory for us," he added. "We ended that part of the tour, and this part has been hugely disappointing. "But this really is a time for us to start moving out of an era - when we were very, very good - forward to the World Cup in 2011. "Our attack is very inexperienced in terms of one-day cricket, and in some key batting areas we've got a lot of younger players. "We need to get them out there and expose them. If I have to take a positive out of this, it's asked us all where we want to go as a one-day unit. "Guys need to focus on their positions in the one-day team." Some of that may start to happen if South Africa can avoid defeats at Lord's and Cardiff over the next four days - but it is the longer term that interests Arthur most. "I really think it is time for us to re-evaluate where we want to go, re-evaluate our personnel and start a new era for South Africa in terms of one-day cricket and getting ready for the World Cup in 2011," he concluded.

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DadaRocks Newbie

DadaRocks

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same freddie who sucked at batting for years? let him land in another country and see how he is gonna suck:hysterical::hysterical:
Flintoff did well in India & Pak....he was struggling when he was unfit but now hes fit and back to his best. Even in 4th ODI when all england pacers were thrashed by Gibbs & Amla..Flintoff E/R was 3 per over which is brilliant.
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SachDan Newbie

SachDan

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same freddie who sucked at batting for years? let him land in another country and see how he is gonna suck:hysterical::hysterical:
wtf? the guy performed exceptionally well on his come back and you are questionng his abilities..he's not a 'made for home conditions' player...he has abundance of talent and if manages to keep the fitness going,can be a good player under any conditions.
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Dravid Newbie

Dravid

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same freddie who sucked at batting for years? let him land in another country and see how he is gonna suck:hysterical::hysterical:
eng win 60% of the time with freddy in the team eng win 40% of the time with freddy out i know its a big ask... but hope your brain can figure it out from there:-D
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