E-Paper
Smith out to erase Cup memories
Success in the triangular series in England will help erase bitter memories from the World Cup, South Africa cricket captain Graeme Smith said Tuesday.
Success in the triangular series in England will help erase bitter memories from the World Cup, South Africa cricket captain Graeme Smith said Tuesday.
South Africa, which hosted the 14-nation World Cup in March, was surprisingly eliminated in the first round after misjudging the victory target and tying a rain-hit match with Sri Lanka "The country took it badly," Smith said. "We know we owe the South African public something big - that's why we've come here."
England plays Zimbabwe in the opener of the series at Trent Bridge on Thursday, while South Africa plays its first match on Saturday against England at the Oval.
Ten matches will be played over the next two weeks. Smith took over the captaincy after Shaun Pollock was fired after the World Cup.
Like England and Zimbabwe, there was also a team reshuffle. Smith, at 22 years and 82 days, became the second youngest captain in test history when he replaced Pollock in March, and only six current players have been on senior tours in England. He described the team as young and enthusiastic and singled out Pollock to lead from the front.
"I think (the current team) is transitional because of the outlook we have on what kind of team we want be," said Smith. Smith, who said England was the favorite in the series, has led South Africa to victory in two tests over Bangladesh and in a tri-series that also included India.
"We've come here to perform and put the results on the table. We're coming here as a disciplined and consistent unit," he said. And team spirit is good.
"I think if you play international cricket for a long time you can kind of lose that little bit of edge," he said. "Maybe that's what we've got back in the side, that passion and pride in representing South Africa.
South Africa lost the Lord's final to Sri Lanka in the inaugural tri-series in England five years ago and was defeated by England 2-1 in the five-test series later that summer.
