South Africa captain Graeme Smith believes Australia have the wherewithal to leave the awkward first Test loss behind them and bounce back in the second Test. The two teams will lock horns once again in the second and final Test at the Wanderers, in Johannesburg on Thursday.
Australia has got enough players of experience who would have dealt with what happen in Cape Town before and they'll know it's a fresh start on Thursday,said Smith. He added:If we can get them under pressure early, then maybe the memories of that 47 all out will come back. But we have to start well and earn the right to put them under pressure. Consequently, it is imperative to have a good first day.
We're not taking anything for decided; it's just our second Test in 10 months. We have a lot of respect for the Australian team and the players they possess, so we won't be taking our foot off the gas,Smith said in a news consultation at the Wanderers.
Meanwhile, putting up a brave front,Australia captain Michael Clarke said the Newlands disaster, when they were bundle out for their lowest Test total in 109 years, was a knowledge they had consigned to the past.
We got rid of the scars once we left Cape Town, we had a good session in the changing room and made a pact that we would leave what happened there and look only to this one. We need to have a red-hot crack at this one,Clarke said.
Top-order batsman Usman Khawaja as substitute for Shaun Marsh, who was forced to return home with a back injury, is not the only change that the Aussies are mulling. More changes are in the pipeline. Left-arm pacer, Mitchell Johnson, once considered to be the leader of the pack, is also being considered to be axed because of his strange display. Seamer Ryan Harris, too, is a concern as he picked up various niggles in Cape Town.
There's one definite change and the possibility of a couple of others. We have no choice, we have to pick a team to take 20 wickets and also to be hopeful and positive with the bat as well.we've got to take the game forward,Clarke said.
There are also some guys who have not trained yet this week. Ryan Harris is a bit stiff and sore, so we're waiting to see how he goes and how he pulls up in the morning. But nobody's got any great concern and we'll probably be able to pick our best XI,Clarke added.
An unchanged line-up is likely to take the field for South Africa, with Smith looking for his team to build on the development they showed in the second half of the first Test.
There has been a good focus and strength in training. We're really focused on our own things, our improvements. In the second innings at Newlands, we saw how much we better and it's significant for us to build on that,Smith said.