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.
Tallon Griekspoor on Friday stunned top seed Alexander Zverev 4-6, 7-6 (7/5), 7-6 (7/4) in the second round at Indian Wells, avenging a devastating loss to the German at Roland Garros last year. Zverev, the world No. 2 who is heading the field of the prestigious ATP Masters event with No. 1 Jannik Sinner serving a three-month drugs ban, is the first Indian Wells men’s top seed to lose his opening match since Andy Murray in 2017. It was a cherished win for Griekspoor, who had lost five straight matches — including four last year — to the German. That included a five-setter
Donovan Mitchell on Wednesday scored 26 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers punched their ticket to the NBA playoffs with a hard-fought 112-107 victory over the Miami Heat. A seesaw battle in Cleveland saw the Heat threaten to end the Cavs’ 11-game unbeaten streak after opening up a seven-point lead late in the fourth quarter, but the Cavs clawed back the deficit in the closing minutes to seal their 12th straight victory and a place in the post-season. The Cavaliers improved to 52-10, maintaining their stranglehold on the Eastern Conference with 20 games of the regular season remaining. Mitchell was one of six Cleveland
Five-time champion Novak Djokovic on Saturday tumbled out of the Indian Wells ATP Masters, falling in his first match to lucky loser Botic van de Zandschulp as two-time defending champion Carlos Alcaraz advanced. “No excuses for a poor performance,” 24-time Grand Slam champion Djokovic said after 37 unforced errors in a 6-2, 3-6, 6-1 defeat. “It doesn’t feel great when you play this way on the court,” he said. “But congratulations to my opponent — just a bad day in the office, I guess, for me.” Djokovic is just the latest in Van de Zandschulp’s string of superstar victims. He
Steve Smith yesterday announced his retirement from one-day international (ODI) cricket after captaining Australia to a semi-final exit at the ICC Champions Trophy, bringing down the curtain on a career in the format that included two ICC World Cup wins. The 35-year-old batsman, who was his team’s top scorer with 73 as Australia lost to India by four wickets in Dubai on Tuesday, said he would still be available for selection for T20 internationals and Test matches. “It has been a great ride and I have loved every minute of it,” Smith said in a Cricket Australia statement. “There have been so