/ 6 December 2008

SA prepared for media hype Down Under

There was a massive thunderstorm over Johannesburg as the national cricket team assembled at OR Tambo Airport for their departure for
Australia on Saturday night — and coach Mickey Arthur expected more storms when the team arrive in Perth on Sunday.

The Proteas will be playing three Tests and five one-day internationals in Australia, after which Australia visit South Africa for a similar tour.

”We always knew there was going to be a lot of hype about this tour, and it’s started already,” said Arthur. ”I’m pretty sure things will heat up even more when we get there, but we will try to play it down a bit.

”Graeme and I have always been open and honest with the media and we’ve learnt from past experience in Australia. Actually, we got on pretty well with the Australian media.”

Captain Graeme Smith said the Proteas’ experience in England earlier this year had provided them with a good stepping stone for what awaited them in Australia.

”The media and the crowds in England are also quite hard to get used to, but we coped well with them, and that experience will help us in Australia.”

South Africa have never won a series in Australia, and since re-admission to international cricket, have won only one Test Down Under — the famous five run victory in Sydney in January 1994.

However, many believe this is the tour on which the Proteas could break the drought.

Smith and Arthur downplayed suggestions that Australia were vulnerable without match-winner Shane Warne and other great players who had recently retired.

”They are the number one team in the world, and they haven’t lost a series at home for 17 years,” said Arthur.

”We are going to play at our very best every hour of every session for 15 days.”

”Not having Warne on the field makes things easier tactically,” said Smith. ”I’m looking forward to having a braai at his house, but I don’t want to meet him on the field again.

”He is such a complete package — he’s the one that used to be able to do all the chirping, because he could back it up with his actions. He also has a superb cricket brain.”

Earlier this week, Australian captain Ricky Ponting said that even if South Africa won the series, he did not believe they deserved to be ranked number one in the world.

”I’m very surprised he said that,” laughed Smith. ”It’s unlike him to even suggest that Australia could lose. We’re not worrying about the world rankings at the moment. We are just concerned with playing good cricket, and if we do that, the rankings will take care of
themselves.

”We have had some very good results over the past 18 months, and while we have great respect for Australia, we’ve also earned respect by our performances.”

South Africa will play two warm-up matches before the first Test, which starts at the Waca in Perth on December 17. – Sapa