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Natwest series 2008 :Proteas aim for top spot in ODIs

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'Only one spat between Smith and Nel' : Arthur South Africa coach Mickey Arthur has offered a critical appraisal of his struggling limitedovers team, saying that they are a long way from being the finished item. More... 'Only one spat with Smith and Nel' Patrick Compton September 02 2008 at 11:39AM South Africa coach Mickey Arthur has offered a critical appraisal of his struggling limitedovers team, saying that they are a long way from being the finished item. And he also hit back at suggestions from South Africa that infighting has contributed to the team's poor form after their stunning Test series triumph. "The team has operated superbly as a unit throughout the tour," Arthur said on a typically wet and windy Cardiff on Monday yesterday, soon after the arrival of the team for the final ODI at Sophia Gardens on Wednesday. South Africa, already 4-0 down in the series, need to win on Wednesday if they are to prevent England leapfrogging over them into second place in the world rankings. The coach said the squad at both Test and ODI level had been a happy, co-operative unit. "As far as I can recall, there's only been one spat on tour that took place between Graeme Smith and Andre Nel," he said. Tension There had been a bit of tension between the players and it culminated at Derby (in the tour match between the Proteas and the England Lions on August 16) when Nel complained about bowling into the wind. "The hassle continued until we got to Durham for the Twenty20 match (later abandoned due to rain) when I got the guys together in the team room to thrash it out. They settled it there and then and we moved forward. I'm happy to tell anyone that we challenge each other in this squad but we sort out problems quickly in an open way." Arthur said the argument between the two men had nothing at all to do with South Africa's poor form in the ODI series. "The team's been a fantastic unit, but we know we have shortcomings in certain important areas. We've lost a number of senior players, we've lost our ability to bat deep and, from a bowling point of view, we've lost 20 of our 50 overs (with the retirement of Shaun Pollock and Charl Langeveldt). I don't want to make excuses and there's no excuse for being bowled out for 83 at Trent Bridge or 170 at the Oval but the fact is we're not the same team that we used to be." With Smith not there to lead the side, his main strike bowlers Morne Morkel and Dale Steyn still very inexperienced and JP Duminy, Hashim Amla and Albie Morkel still learning their trade, Arthur said his team had a lot to learn. He agreed that the team still had a core of experienced players, but he said they were "stale" after an exhausting tour in which the Test series took precedence over everything else. The youngsters need to learn from the experienced players, but they have struggled. "I want to hold up my hand as well," Arthur said, admitting that he was primarily responsible for underlining to his players how important the Test series was, possibly at the expense of the ODI segment of the tour. "I placed so much emphasis on winning the Test series that, when it happened at Edgbaston, I saw all the hot air escaping from our balloon," Arthur said. "We gave everything in the Tests and our discipline was fantastic. But we've struggled since then. It's true that we haven't given our best in the past few weeks, and I'm partly responsible for that." Turning to the task that lies ahead, Arthur said the challenge was an exciting one. "I know I can make it right," he said with conviction. I know I can mould players who have the talent, so long as they have the right mental abilities." Explaining this, Arthur pointed out the team's big failing at Lord's on Sunday. "After 10 overs, the match was there to be won. They had to score at 8.4 runs an over to win. We've spoken about it often. When we're under pressure we know we have to bowl full and straight, and let the batsmen drive to long-on and long-off for a single. "But what happened? I didn't see a yorker during that period. Our cricket thinking there was very young, very inexperienced and not very bright. The players have the ability but they've got to learn to think on their feet under pressure. We didn't do it on Sunday." Arthur acknowledged that there were places up for grabs in the ODI squad and he had already widened his search for players in key positions. "I need the guys to improve our depth and to provide quality in certain positions. I want players to put their hands up to show me they want to be part of this new one-day outfit. That goes for everybody, right across the board. I told them that after the game on Sunday. I think they've got the message."

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Skipper Smith delighted with South Africa performance South Africa captain Graeme Smith is proud of his team's achievements this season despite being outplayed by England in the one-day series. "In terms of the team, we've realised that we've lost some key players in our one-day setup," Smith, who was forced out of the last three one-dayers through injury, told a news conference in Cape Town on Wednesday. More... Despite 4-0 humiliation, skipper Smith 'delighted' Reuters Posted online: Wednesday, September 03, 2008 at 1545 hrs IST Cape Town, September 3:: South Africa captain Graeme Smith is proud of his team's achievements this season despite being outplayed by England in the ODI series. "In terms of the team, we've realised that we've lost some key players in our ODI setup," Smith, who was forced out of the last three ODIs through injury, told a news conference in Cape Town on Wednesday. "Trying to replace a guy like Shaun Pollack, who lengthened our batting and finished off games, and with a lot of the young guys struggling with their form in the ODI setup has created a bit of pressure on the team." The Proteas won the Test series against England 2-1 but have since slumped to four consecutive defeats in the five-match ODI series. "I think the Test side is strong in itself, it's had a huge amount of success this year," Smith said. "This season as a whole has been incredibly successful for South African cricket and we're obviously pretty proud of what we've achieved." An elbow injury forced Smith to return home from England, but he hopes to be fit in time for South Africa's tour of Australia which begins on Dec 17 with a Test match in Perth. "It's pretty tender at the moment but I'm seeing the surgeon next week," he said. "I've got the opportunity to rest now and get it right and once I've seen the doctor I'll have more clarity on that, but I hope to get some domestic cricket in before we go to Australia." South Africa play their final match of the England tour on Wednesday, an ODI in Cardiff, before returning home to host Kenya for two ODIs

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