South African captain Graeme Smith says he will not be reading the riot act to his squad despite Tuesday’s 10-wicket defeat to England, which he labeled as one of the lowest points of his career.
Smith’s jaded looking side were dismissed at Trent Bridge for just 83 as England won with 35.5 overs to spare and went 2-0 up in the five-match one day international series ahead of tomorrow’s third game at the Oval.
The tourists have injury problems with Smith doubtful for the clash in London with an elbow injury and the Morkel brothers, Albie and Morne, have both been struggling.
PHOTO: AFP
“This is not the time for excuses — we have been outplayed — England are playing with huge motivation and huge aggression,” Smith said.
“We have got to find out what the problem is — we have got a lot of experience and we have got to tap into a bit of that,” he said.
“We have had times on this tour when we have had to look at each other honestly and find out what mistakes we are making. Our rhythm and confidence is not right. I don’t think reading the riot act is going to help,” Smith said.
When asked if it was the worst defeat of his one-day international career Smith added: “Outside of World Cup semi-finals this is right down there in terms of lows — we did not assess conditions well enough.”
“We have got to look at ourselves and match the England team in the way we have matched in the time that I have been involved. All of us need to get together,” Smith said.
“It was not a 280 wicket and that affected how we played. There was a bit of bounce but if we could have got 230 we could have put them under a pressure but when you are only chasing 80 you play with freedom,” he said.
England captain Kevin Pietersen stressed he would be trying to keep Matt Prior’s feet on the ground after he equaled a world record with six catches and hit 45 not out after being reinstated in the one-day side three games ago.
Prior’s haul included one stunning diving effort to dismiss Smith off Stuart Broad’s bowling.
“I am trying to get into him that it is really great to be on a wave but you have got to get to a level where you are cool and calm and deliver,” Pietersen said.
“After the catch I said it was a great catch but you have got a job to do — you are there to be focused. [After being dropped] he could have gone and felt sorry for himself but he has done a fantastic job. He is a hell of a batsman,” he said.
Carlos Alcaraz on Sunday fought through a second-set slump to post a roller-coaster 6-1, 2-6, 6-3 victory over Damir Dzumhur in his opening match at the Cincinnati Open. The Spaniard, playing his first tournament since losing to Jannik Sinner in the Wimbledon final, raced through the first set, but completely lost his way in the second, dropping his serve twice against the 33-year-old Bosnian. Alcaraz regained his intensity and cut down his errors in the third set as a seventh ace took him to a match point that was converted when Dzumhur fired wide. “It was just a roller coaster,” said the second
Taiwan’s men’s basketball team on Monday clinched a spot in the FIBA Asia Cup quarter-finals with a 78-64 win over Jordan in Saudi Arabia, securing their best finish in the tournament since placing fourth in 2013. The win was sweet revenge for Taiwan, who were denied a quarter-final spot by Jordan at the same stage of the previous Asia Cup in 2022 after blowing a nine-point lead in the final minute and losing 97-96 on a half-court buzzer-beater. “History is part of the journey,” Taiwan head coach Gianluca Tucci said when asked about the 2022 collapse of the team, who he did
NEXT ROUND: World No. 1s Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka opened their title defenses with straight-sets wins, while Iga Swiatek and Taylor Fritz also advanced Jannik Sinner and Aryna Sabalenka got their title defenses off to smooth starts as they powered into the third round of the ATP-WTA Cincinnati Open on Saturday. The men’s and women’s top seeds, each ranked No. 1 in the world, were both competing for the first time since Wimbledon, where Sinner lifted the title and Sabalenka bowed out in the women’s semi-finals. Sinner crushed Colombian Daniel Elahi Galan 6-1, 6-1 in steamy afternoon weather, while Sabalenka beat 2023 Wimbledon champion Marketa Vondrousova 7-5, 6-1 under the lights of the night session. Sabalenka needed 54 minutes and a service break in the final game
Leicester City on Sunday launched their quest for an immediate return to the English Premier League with a 2-1 win at home to crisis club Sheffield Wednesday after the visitors’ supporters protested against Owls owner Dejphon Chansiri. Wednesday are under several English Football League embargoes for a range of financial breaches, with payments of wages to players and staff delayed for the past three months. Owls fans made their feelings toward Thai businessman Chansiri clear by delaying their entry to their seats and the away end was empty as the players came onto the pitch at the King Power Stadium, with a
RSS