‘He's definitely not a soft touch,' says Smith

The apppointment of Mickey Arthur as South African coach has impressed Graeme Smith, the captain. Smith, who had a short stint with Arthur in the South African A side, said he was an admirer of Arthur's coaching style and his work ethic.

"He gets the best out of his players, and he's definitely not a soft touch," said Smith, quoted in The Star. "I was impressed with his work ethic. He's a disciplined man. His man-management is a key component of his make-up as a coach."

Ray Jennings, who was replaced by Arthur, was often questioned about his unconventional coaching style. When asked about his relationship with Jennings, Smith said, "Jet [Jennings] and I didn't see eye to eye on certain things, and we had the odd run-in now and then, but that's a natural part of the captain-coach relationship. It's good to have those challenges.

"We always knew that Jet might not stay. But we've had more stability in the team, and the result is that more players have responded well," he said. "The team is comfortable with the process that has been followed to pick the new coach. Now we have a definite plan going forward."

However, it is said that several players were sad to see Jennings leave and had considered a campaign to retain him as the coach. However, Smith ruled out the possibility of any turmoil within the team due to the new appointment. "When I appealed for stability [after the first Test against England at Port Elizabeth in December], I was talking more about the need for stability within the team.

"The team is playing very well at the moment. Our aim is to be No. 1 in the world in both forms of the game, and once we've played Australia, we'll have a better idea of what we need to do to get there."