http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013 - Cricket News Update
The Proteas will head to London to prepare for the first Test at the Oval against England after a drawn side match against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Canterbury-c775, but the visitors are upbeat about their prospects and are raring to go against the world’s top Test side, with
South African batsman Jacques Rudolph claiming that despite short on match practice and international cricket, the team is quite eager to have a go at the Poms.
"I can promise you that all the boys just want that first Test to start now. We're well aware we haven't played a lot of cricket. England have played a lot of cricket, but we're not going to be worried about how much cricket we've played," said the Proteas
batsman.
The tourists have drawn both practice games against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Somerset-c843 and Kent, with their bowling attack struggling to make inroads into the opposition batting lineup.
"It has been a little bit disappointing for the bowlers because the wicket didn't really give them a lot of assistance,” Rudolph said.
The matches however, provided batsmen with the chance to acclimatize themselves as many players were returning from a long lay-off. The Proteas’ last international adventure came three months back against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 however; many plied their trade in the
T20 version, including stints in the Indian Premier League and the unofficial series in http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Zimbabwe-c3045.
The visitors had an unusual training session for the current tour as they prepared for the series in a three-day training camp in the Swiss Alps where they carried out sessions of hiking and mountaineering, and the Transvaal player believes that it was an
experience worth having, which helped create a sense of bonding within the team.
"They were the three toughest days of my life, mentally and physically, and it was nice to do it with your team-mates because it gives you a bit of a stronger bond."
The tourists however, had to endure a serious setback when their veteran wicketkeeper, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/MV-Boucher-c2048 suffered a devastating, career-ending eye injury during the first side-match against Somerset
The 31-year-old batsman believes that the team has reconciled with their loss and moved on from that to focus on the impending English challenge.
If the visitors manage to defeat the hosts in the upcoming Test series, they will become the world’s new top Test cricket team - a feat that eluded the Proteas since their return to international cricket more than two decades ago.
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