Graeme Smith wants no complacency after win over New Zealand

South African skipper Graeme Smith does not want his teammates to rest on their laurels after taking an innings victory over New Zealand in the first Test at Newlands.

The Proteas wrapped up the game inside three days, crushing the Black Caps by an innings and 27 runs. The tourists were bundled out for only 45 in the first innings, as Veron Philander scalped five wickets for just seven runs.

In reply, the Proteas posted a handy total of 347 runs on the board, taking a massive lead of over 300. Alviro Petersen scored a magnificent hundred, while Hashim Amla, Jacques Kallis and AB de Villiers smashed half-centuries.

The home side kept the opposition under pressure in the second innings, as Martin Guptill lost his wicket in the very first over. Dean Brownlie and Brendon McCullum showed some fight, but their effort was not enough. The Kiwis could only get 275 runs in
the second innings.

Smith does not want any relaxation, and has asked his side to build on the 2012 unbeaten run, which guided the team to the first place on the ICC Test rankings.

He said: "It’s about winning. It’s what you are defined on in modern sport. If you play games like this and you are dominant and can take the game forward it’s very nice. We bowled superbly with the new ball in both innings. I thought we were excellent with
the areas we hit and the intensity with which we started."

"I’m very realistic. I saw Queens Park Rangers beating Chelsea the other day. That’s sport. You’ve got to keep yourself on your toes. They’ve got good players. They are obviously struggling now to find who fits where and who can slot in to certain roles.
They are a growing team but it’s our job to keep them under pressure," he added.

On the other hand, New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum tried to draw out some positives despite a disappointing defeat. He praised Brownlie, who made the best of the opportunity, and batted well against South Africa’s good pace attack.

"Dean was brilliant," said McCullum. "It was a hard-fought innings that was fantastic for him and hopefully will be start of a very successful career. To come out against the number one team in the world in the situation we were in and play a reasonably
counter-attacking innings in trying circumstances was a fabulous effort."

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Posted by Rana Nasir Ghafoor on Jan 5 2013. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry