'I am confident in our ability'
Mickey Arthur, the South African coach, talks to Cricinfo about his team's performance in Bangladesh, the forthcoming series in India, and the IPL
Ajay S Shankar
08-Mar-2008
Mickey Arthur, the South African coach, talks to Cricinfo about his team's performance in Bangladesh, the forthcoming series in India, and the Indian Premier League.
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South Africa seemed to falter initially in the first Test against Bangladesh, before regrouping to sweep the series. What do you attribute the initial hiccup to?
I don't think there was a hiccup. Slow, low wickets bring teams closer together and we just had to find our feet technically with the bat. I thought we bowled very well. Once we did that, we were fine.
Looking back on a successful Test series, how do you evaluate South Africa's performance? Specifically, what were the highlights on the batting and bowling front?
The pleasing thing was that we were ruthless. We set out on our ultimate goal and that was to keep our momentum going in Test cricket and to raise the bar. The highlights were the world-record opening stand of 415 and what was very pleasing was that they [Graeme Smith and Neil McKenzie] wanted to go on and get the big one and that they were disappointed when they got out. They weren't going to throw away a big score, which is crucial in the subcontinent because you can lose wickets in clumps.
On the bowling front, Dale Steyn was again unbelievable and showed his class in unfavourable conditions. The five-wicket hauls of Morne Morkel and Robin Peterson were encouraging, as was our ability to bowl reverse-swing, which augurs well for [the series in] India.
Has the team completely settled down mentally after the initial controversy
over the selection process in South Africa? How have you personally coped with the fact that just before the series you were removed from selection duties
and then reinstated?
The team is fine. We have goals and targets we strive to achieve at all times and we are completely focused on those. I have a plan and I did not want to waver from it and, as long as I stayed true to that, I was comfortable.
What are the main factors you are focusing on for the Test series against India? Who are the Indian players you will be making special plans for?
India have played very good cricket of late and we are under no illusions about the difficult task that awaits us. However, I am confident in our ability to take 20 wickets and to score enough runs. We respect all their players and will make plans for any eventuality.
How do you evaluate India's performance in Australia?
India played particularly well. They put pressure on Australia and seem to have developed a ruthless streak.
The last time the two teams met in Tests, in South Africa, your top-order
batting was an area of concern. Graeme Smith was found to be particularly susceptible to left-arm pace early on in the series, which South Africa finally won 2-1.
Our batting failed in one Test match. The two Tests we won, we got big first- innings scores and batted fourth on wickets that suited India's spinners and coped very well. Graeme played a match-winning innings at Newlands [55 in the second innings of the third Test] and has been in particularly good form of late. He is a class player who comes through in big Test series.
From an Indian point of view, Dale Steyn seems to be the bowler to watch
out for with three Man-of-the-Series awards already. How do you
view his development? Do you predict a big series for him in India, especially after
his exploits in Pakistan and Bangladesh?
Dale is a high-quality bowler who seems to get better and better He swings the ball and has genuine pace, which makes him a very tough customer.
How do you view the fact that your rival coach for the India series is Gary Kirsten, who has intimate knowledge of the coaching processes and tactics of South Africa, having been a batting consultant for the team?
Gary and I go back a long way. I am very pleased he has the job. He is a genuine cricket man and I wish him all the best except against South Africa. Coaches analyse their opponents anyway so I not worried about his intimate technical knowledge of our players. Any coach would have done his home work.
I am, however, worried about Paddy Upton. I hope that he will respect the confidentiality of his relationship with the players, which is similar to a doctor-patient relationship because he has worked on the mental approach of most of our top six.
What are your views on the Indian Premier League? Are
you worried that the IPL might be a distraction for key players like Graeme Smith or Jacques Kallis, as they will appear for the various franchises soon after the India series?
I don't think it will be a major problem. They are completely focused on playing for South Africa and achieving the goals we have set ourselves. I do think the IPL is good for cricket. However, there must be a window period for it in the international schedule.
Lastly, Test matches between India and South Africa have generally been contested in good spirit, and the two teams share great camaraderie. Do you see this trend continuing, unlike what was seen during India's recent visit to Australia?
I hope so. We respect Indian cricket greatly and I think the same is applicable of their attitude towards us. We expect the series to be tough and uncompromising but played in the right spirit.
Ajay Shankar is deputy editor of Cricinfo in Bangalore