Aussies under pressure, says SA cricket captain Smith

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Australia will be a touring team under pressure when they arrive in South Africa Monday, according to South African captain Graeme Smith. More... Aussies under pressure, says SA cricket captain Smith 17 hours ago JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (AFP) — Australia will be a touring team under pressure when they arrive in South Africa Monday, according to South African captain Graeme Smith. Australia will play three Test matches, five one-day internationals and two Twenty20 internationals on their two-month tour. South Africa will be favourites after winning both the Test and one- day series in Australia recently. It is a position with which the host nation will be comfortable, Smith said in the South African Sunday Times, although he warned that he expected an Australian backlash. "It's going to be an unusual place to be for a South African team," said Smith. "It's a great feeling and a reward for all the sacrifices everyone has made. But we know that Australians are very competitive people and they don't like to be on the back foot. The only way we can keep them there is by playing better cricket again." The side that Ricky Ponting will lead is one of the most inexperienced Australian touring parties in recent history and Smith said they would lack the confidence that previous sides had on the second leg of the back-to-back tours that have been the norm for South Africa-Australia contests. "On previous tours they have come here with confidence having had the foot on us right through the summer there and they've just carried it on. Now, even their experienced guys will come here in a different frame of mind, while the younger players are coming here for the first time." Smith said the Australians faced several selection issues while South Africa had already announced they would field the same starting eleven, with the addition of left-arm pace bowler Lonwabo Tsotsobe, that won the first two Tests in Australia before losing the third game. "They're a touring team under pressure and it's never easy," he said. "If we can play well in the first Test maybe we can open up a few cracks." One good omen for the Australians is that they will travel to the small university town of Potchefstroom, an hour's drive west of Johannesburg, immediately after their arrival. With good training facilities and no big-city distractions, Potchefstroom was chosen by Australia as their pre-tournament base before the 2003 World Cup in South Africa. They went on to lift the title without losing a match. After three days of training, the Australians will open the tour with a three-day match against South Africa A in Potchefstroom Friday before moving back to Johannesburg for the first Test starting February 26.

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Hughes will be under pressure to fill Hayden's shoes: Steyn South African pace spearhead Dale Steyn has upped the ante in the psychological warfare with Australia prior to their home Test series suggesting that uncapped opener Phillip Hughes would be under pressure to fill in the boots of Matthew Hayden. More... Hughes will be under pressure to fill Hayden's shoes: Steyn PTI Monday, February 16, 2009 13:52 IST Durban: South African pace spearhead Dale Steyn has upped the ante in the psychological warfare with Australia prior to their home Test series suggesting that uncapped opener Phillip Hughes would be under pressure to fill in the boots of Matthew Hayden. The super-fast Steyn, South Africa's leading wicket-taker last year, said Hughes would be subjected to a similar kind of pressure to which David Warner went through when he replaced Hayden at the top of the batting order in one-dayers. "We don't need to put pressure on him (Hughes)," said Steyn, who took 18 wickets in the Test series Down Under that South Africa won 2-1. "I think trying to replace Matthew Hayden and fill those massive shoes will place enough weight on his shoulders. I wish him the best for his career, and obviously if Australia believe he is good enough to play international cricket, then he has our respect." "But I guess we'll find out what he is made of in the next month or so. I will not be going out there trying to break him down verbally. We'll just stick to our gameplans, like we did with Dave Warner, and try and apply pressure that way," he told 'Cricinfo'. Steyn said South Africa did not feel good sending Hayden into retirement after the former left-handed opener managed just 117 runs at an average of 19.50 in three Tests. "It's not nice to force anyone into retirement. I'm sure Hayden would have loved to go onto the Ashes, and I think the Australians will really miss him at the top of their order." "But what was fantastic for us was the ability to get players of his calibre out with good gameplans. We save Hayden and Hussey as key players for them, and they were never able to get on top of us in that series," said Steyn.

[Anakin]

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