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SA can cope with Sri Lanka spinners - Smith

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21 Sep 2009

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South Africa captain Graeme Smith believes that his team will have the measure of Sri Lanka’s spin duo of Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis when the two nations clash in the opening match of the ICC Champions Trophy at SuperSport Park in Centurion on Tuesday. Off spinner Muralitharan and “mystery spinner” Mendis warmed up for Tuesday’s match by taking three wickets apiece as Sri Lanka beat the West Indies in a warm-up game on Sunday.

Smith, while agreeing that the two bowlers are among the finest exponents of their art currently playing international cricket, feels that South Africa, the number-one ranked side in one-day-international (ODI) cricket, have proven with their recent results that they are capable of standing up to the challenge

“I think our record speaks for itself over the last period of time and how we have played spinners around the world,” Smith told a new conference.

“They (Muralitharan and Mendis) are obviously two high class bowlers. Each team has their high class players and you have to play better than those guys to beat them,” Smith added.

Muralitharan, now 37-years-old, is the leading wicket-taker in ODI cricket having captured 511 wickets in his 332 matches while Mendis has snared 32 wickets in 33 matches. What stands out about Mendis’ ODI career is that his wickets have come at an outstanding average of just 15.41.

Mendis bowls a potent mix of off spinners, leg spinners and some deliveries that have not even been named yet. However, Smith is of the opinion that the Proteas may have an idea on how to play Mendis.

“We haven’t played a series against Sri Lanka in a long time so we haven’t had a lengthy period to study him (Mendis) and how to play against him but we have video footage and we have had a few encounters with him, whether in the IPL or the Twenty20 World Cup.

“We have a few ideas to use against him and we have watched other teams be aggressive and be very successful against him. It seems to be a good tactic against him,” Smith explained.

The Sri Lankan duo will not be the only top-class spinners on show during Tuesday’s 50-over encounter. Smith feels that South Africa’s own spin twins, off spinner Johan Botha and left-arm spinner Roelof van der Merwe, have developed into a combination as effective as their Sri Lankan counterparts.

“Over the last year and a half he (Johan Botha) has become one of the best ODI bowlers in the game. I think his stats and records speak for themselves.

“He has become an integral part of our team and I am sure that tomorrow will be no different. He has formed a good combination with Roelof van der Merwe so they are going to play an important part (in the match),” Smith concluded. Botha has captured 42 wickets in his 45 ODI matches while conceding just 4.43 runs to the over while Van der Merwe, who taken to international cricket with some aplomb, has taken eight wickets in his four ODIs with a best of three for 37.


SA Team | Fixtures  

September 2009

22 South Africa v Sri Lanka ODI SuperSport Park, Centurion 14:30
24 South Africa v New Zealand ODI SuperSport Park, Centurion 09:30
27 South Africa v England ODI SuperSport Park, Centurion 14:30

November 2009

13 South Africa v England Pro20 Liberty Life Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg 18:00
15 South Africa v England Pro20 SuperSport Park, Centurion 14:30
20 South Africa v England ODI Liberty Life Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg 14:30
22 South Africa v England ODI SuperSport Park, Centurion 10:00
27 South Africa v England ODI Sahara Park Newlands, Cape Town 14:30
29 South Africa v England ODI Sahara Oval St George`s, Port Elizabeth 10:00

December 2009

4 South Africa v England ODI Sahara Stadium Kingsmead, Durban 14:30
16 South Africa v England Test SuperSport Park, Centurion 10:30
26 South Africa v England Test Sahara Stadium Kingsmead, Durban 10:30

January 2010

3 South Africa v England Test Sahara Park Newlands, Cape Town 10:30
14 South Africa v England Test Liberty Life Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg 10:30

Source: SuperSports

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