Mark Smit
12 December 2008
Johannesburg — MIKE Procter, the newly appointed convener of Cricket SA's national selection committee, yesterday denied suggestions that national captain and opening batsman Graeme Smith had been sent to Australia unfit.
He was reacting to news from Australia that Smith had been given another cortisone injection in his left elbow and would be sitting out the warm-up game, a two-day affair starting today against a Western Australian XI at the Waca in Perth. "We never sent an unfit player. Holding him back from this game is just a precautionary measure," said Procter.
He then laughed off comments by former internationals Brian McMillan and Eric Simons about the frailty of SA's pace bowling attack. McMillan, a tough all-rounder who played 38 Tests for SA, and Simons, a medium-pacer who played for SA before becoming coach of the national side after Ray Jennings was unceremoniously dumped, told the SuperSport website they were worried that the inexperience of the new ball attack would be exposed.
Simons said: "I am concerned about our bowling. I don't think it is as good as people say it is and we could get exposed."
McMillan echoed Simons's comments: "I worry about the bowling. In the UK and the series against Bangladesh the bowlers struggled with their disciplines."
Procter, who was heading off to the airport to fly to Australia for the first Test in Perth, was quite surprised by the suggestion that Steyn and Morkel could be exposed by the Australian batsmen, who have already been quoted in Australia as saying they intend to target the pair.
Reacting with what sounded suspiciously like a derisive snort, he said: "I think we have a very exciting bowling attack.
"They might be a little short on experience against quality opposition like Australia but if they both find form at the same time they will give the Australians a really hard time."
Given his almost legendary status in the annals of South African cricket, the obvious question to Procter was whether he would give the young fast bowlers any advice when he joined the team in Perth.
He said he would give them some input "through Mickey Arthur, if he wants me to".
"Obviously I have my views, but then again I don't know if it is such a good idea to give them too much information.
"I think a bowler can have too much on his mind if too many people are talking to him but, certainly, if I am asked to have a word, I certainly will."
While Simons and McMillan expressed their reservations about the bowling, both felt that SA's batting was pretty strong, despite the long tail.
They felt the top seven were quite capable of standing up to the Australian bowlers.
McMillan described SA's batting as "good" while Simons said the team's strength lay in the top-seven batsmen.
Simons, who lost his job as South African coach after the debacle of the rained-out match between SA and Sri Lanka at Kingsmead during the 2003 World Cup, did voice concerns felt by many other cricket fans in this country about the length of the South African batting tail.
"I am concerned about Paul Harris or Morne Morkel batting at eight. We don't have a genuine all-rounder coming in at eight and I don't think we have been tested in that area. If they (Australia) get through our batting line-up they could exploit that weakness."
Simons went on to say the South Africans had three things in their favour which might give the visitors an edge when facing Australia: "We now have a winning culture, our top-order is strong and Graeme Smith's leadership has come on."
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