<p> “We are not the only favourites in the tournament, we never really are the only favourites. There are a lot of teams expected to do well. We are pretty relaxed,” offered South African skipper Graeme Smith when asked about his team’s inability to win any major tournament.<br /><br />“You guys keep raising the questions, as do people in the public, so until we actually go on to win a tournament, it’s not something we are going to be able to hide away from. Hiding away from it would be the wrong way to look at it,” he continued.<br />“The time has come (to put the record straight). Each team arriving here is trying to win the tournament. Ultimately it is an honour, a privilege to put yourself in a position to win the tournament. It’s our responsibility. We have that mantle to go on to achieve that trophy. But it’s a long way off at the moment from every team. We are just going to focus on India, which is our first game,” he explained.<br /><br />The left-hander hoped the knowledge his team-mates played in the IPL will have of the Indian players will help his side. “We’ve pretty much given the guys who’ve had an extended run in the IPL a good rest, especially Dale (Steyn) and Jacques (Kallis). We’ve allowed them to lay low.”<br /><br />Smith wasn’t sure if the IPL experience would really be beneficial at the World T20. “Answering that question, there are a lot of 'ifs' involved. No one really knows. The IPL is obviously a hectic six or seven-week tournament. There’s a lot of travelling and a lot of busy games, games close together. India start with back-to-back games, so how they jell as a team and how they play in this environment is going to be interesting to see,” he pointed out.<br /><br />With most pitches in the Caribbean on the slower side, the Protean didn’t rule out playing two spinners. “It definitely is an option but it is also what we left ourselves with (in the warm-ups), with the decision to rest players. Most of the wickets seem to be a little bit slower and taking a bit of spin. Our options are open; we’ve got pace and spin, we’ve got enough there to challenge Indian batsmen,” he remarked.<br />DH News Service</p>
<p> “We are not the only favourites in the tournament, we never really are the only favourites. There are a lot of teams expected to do well. We are pretty relaxed,” offered South African skipper Graeme Smith when asked about his team’s inability to win any major tournament.<br /><br />“You guys keep raising the questions, as do people in the public, so until we actually go on to win a tournament, it’s not something we are going to be able to hide away from. Hiding away from it would be the wrong way to look at it,” he continued.<br />“The time has come (to put the record straight). Each team arriving here is trying to win the tournament. Ultimately it is an honour, a privilege to put yourself in a position to win the tournament. It’s our responsibility. We have that mantle to go on to achieve that trophy. But it’s a long way off at the moment from every team. We are just going to focus on India, which is our first game,” he explained.<br /><br />The left-hander hoped the knowledge his team-mates played in the IPL will have of the Indian players will help his side. “We’ve pretty much given the guys who’ve had an extended run in the IPL a good rest, especially Dale (Steyn) and Jacques (Kallis). We’ve allowed them to lay low.”<br /><br />Smith wasn’t sure if the IPL experience would really be beneficial at the World T20. “Answering that question, there are a lot of 'ifs' involved. No one really knows. The IPL is obviously a hectic six or seven-week tournament. There’s a lot of travelling and a lot of busy games, games close together. India start with back-to-back games, so how they jell as a team and how they play in this environment is going to be interesting to see,” he pointed out.<br /><br />With most pitches in the Caribbean on the slower side, the Protean didn’t rule out playing two spinners. “It definitely is an option but it is also what we left ourselves with (in the warm-ups), with the decision to rest players. Most of the wickets seem to be a little bit slower and taking a bit of spin. Our options are open; we’ve got pace and spin, we’ve got enough there to challenge Indian batsmen,” he remarked.<br />DH News Service</p>
