ICC awards issue could motivate us - Smith

Graeme Smith, South Africa's captain, has said it was disappointing no South African player made the shortlist for the ICC awards but felt their omission could act as a "motivating factor" during the Champions Trophy.

"It is not individual recognition that drives us," Smith said. "We are driven by what we want to achieve as a team and have had an amazing couple of years.

"It is a little disappointing that not a single South African made the shortlist in any category because we are the number one team in both Test and ODI cricket. But that shows the strength of the team and perhaps the lack of ICC award nominations could be a motivating factor."

The list of nominations for the various ICC awards, which will be given out in Johannesburg on October 1, include six from India, four from Australia, three from England, two each from Sri Lanka, Pakistan, West Indies and one from New Zealand. It left South Africa as the only participant in the Champions Trophy without a single nomination for an ICC award.

Their exclusion drew criticism from several high-profile figures in South Africa, including Gerald Majola, the national cricket board's chief executive. Majola questioned the credibility of the awards and said it appeared to him that the only way to get on the shortlist was to play the Ashes.

South Africa have been pooled in Group B in the Champions Trophy along with Sri Lanka, New Zealand and England. They begin their campaign in the tournament opener against Sri Lanka in Centurion on September 22. They have not played international cricket since the World Twenty20 in June and Smith said the squad was "fresh and ready to go".