Victory margin not on Smith’s mind going into Leeds Test – Cricket news Update
The triumphant http://www.senore.com/Cricket/GC-Smith-c1473, on Wednesday shared that what bothers him the most going into a match is the outcome of the game and not the margin of the victory.
"We just want to win the game, you don't focus on winning by an innings or having someone score 300,” said the Proteas skipper, who recently returned to England after a short paternity leave to witness the birth of his first child, a baby girl named Cadence Christine Smith.
“Those are wonderful moments as a team to be part of but we’ve had enough time between games to come back to earth and refocus on what we want to achieve as a team,” he added further.
Smith’s comments came on the eve of the second Investec Test against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/England-c56013, starting at Leeds, Headingley, on Thursday, August 2, 2012. The tourists go into today’s match at the back of a comprehensive innings and 12-run victory at The Oval. Smith said that the innings feat in the series opener has now become a thing of past for them and now they are focused at winning the Leeds Test, to clinch the series and claim the top spot on ICC’s Test rankings.
http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Gary-Kirsten-c58527.
“Gary Kirsten is a very solid character in the group and keeps good perspective of where we are,” said Smith, who is all set to stand in his record 93rd Test as Proteas skipper, only second captain after http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Allan-Robert-Border-c43726 to do so. “His management team wouldn't have backed off on the players over the last few days so maybe I missed out on a few good fitness sessions," he added further.
South Africa’s move to the top of the Test rankings would add a new-fangled feather to the memorable coaching cap of Kirsten, who has had an impressive coaching stint with India (March 2008 – April 2011), before joining the Proteas’ fold in June last year. During his three-year-long stint with http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 Test rankings (in December 2009), as well as to the World Champ title, at home last year.
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