Graeme http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Smith-c90598 vows to return aggressive at Lord’s – Cricket News Update
South Africa’s Test captain http://www.senore.com/Cricket/GC-Smith-c1473 has opined that his side will be as aggressive in the third and final Test against England at Lord’s as they were during the drawn Headingley Test.
The tourists, who won the series opener at the Kia Oval by an innings and 12 runs last week, need only to draw the Lord’s encounter, starting on August 16, to clinch the series and topple England as the world’s number one ranked Test side. But the visiting
skipper said that they will go out all guns blazing to get the better of the Poms and prove their dominance with a victory at the home of cricket.
"We showed with our declaration what our mindset is. I don't see it changing at Lord's. Hopefully we will take a step forward,” he said.
Resuming the second innings from 39 for 0 on Monday morning, Smith and his makeshift opening partner, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Jacques-Rudolph-c1619, extended the overnight stand to 120. After losing Rudolph in the last over of the first session, the tourists paced up scoring after the
lunch, though it came at a cost, as they slipped from 123 for 1 to 239 for 7 in the second session, courtesy http://www.senore.com/Cricket/SCJ-Broad-c2465 who claimed four wickets in 20 balls, conceding just 12 runs.
They could have played it safe but Smith adventurously declared second innings on 258 for 9. About his decision to call a surprise declaration, setting the Poms a plausible target of 253 to win from 39 overs, the left hander said that after losing some quick
wickets in the second session, he expected the Headingley wicket to assist pacers more in the final session of the game.
“We decided at tea we were going to give ourselves five overs and get there and bowl and try and win the Test match,” said the Proteas opener who scored a fighting half century in the second innings with a strapped left knee. “That's what we’ve come here
to do. We wanted to win the Test match and in the end,” he reiterated.
Smith also had a word of praise for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013’s first innings.
The tourists are next scheduled to play a two-day tour match against Derbyshire, at Derby (August 10-11), before heading to Lord’s for the series finale.
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