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Flaws in Proteas: Ponting

ALEX BROWN

02 Dec, 2008 12:00 AM

THE South Africans will not touch down in Australia for another five days, but the psychological skirmishes have already started.

A day after South African coach Mickey Arthur declared his pace attack the best in world cricket, Australian captain Ricky Ponting questioned whether the Proteas' inexperience in Australian conditions - and Perth, in particular - might count against them.

"On paper, it's a very good attack," Ponting said of the South Africans. "But it's an attack that hasn't played in Australia. We all know that it's pretty easy to get carried away with conditions in Perth if you haven't played there before. We know as a batting group what we need to do, and we know as a bowling group what we need to do in Perth, so that's one advantage we'll probably have over the South Africans."

Australia-South Africa series are invariably heated, combustible affairs, and this season's match-up appears no different. The Proteas have been vocal in declaring their intention to end Australia's five-year hold on the ICC Test top place, and will arrive on these shores boasting five batsmen with more than 850 runs to their names this year, and three of the world's top-10 wicket-takers for 2008.

"It has taken us two years to put together the team who are capable of taking it to the Australians in their own conditions," Arthur said. "We are very comfortable with the squad we are taking over. There is no doubting that our bowling attack can be the best in the world when it is firing, and our batsmen have been unbelievable this year. We have been looking forward to this series for a long time, and we are confident about our chances."

The Australians are not without their own reasons for optimism, however. Yesterday's demolition of New Zealand by an innings and 62 runs will do much for the confidence of a team soundly beaten in India last month, and contending with the issues that inevitably arise from a major period of player transition.

The individual performances of man of the match Brad Haddin and leading paceman Brett Lee have relieved the burdens on their respective shoulders, while the continued rise of Mitchell Johnson - particularly as an old-ball weapon - has added a new dimension to Australia's pace attack.

"We know we have to play at our absolute best if we want to win the series against South Africa, and the last couple of weeks have been a good step for us," Ponting said. "The rankings have got [South Africa] as No.2 in the world, and we know we have to play at our optimum, and there is no hiding that fact.

"Right through India we were a fair bit below our best. We were a bit short of our best in Brisbane, and we have taken a step closer here to being at our best. It is great to see Brett running back into some real rhythm and good form, taking nine wickets. His pace is probably higher in this game than it has been in a while, and that is a really good sign for us."

Daniel Vettori, who captained New Zealand to a 2-0 trouncing at the hands of South Africa last year, rated the Proteas a strong chance of becoming the first team since the West Indies in 1992-93 to defeat Australia in a home Test series. "The hardest thing to do in world cricket is to beat Australia in Australia," Vettori said. "South Africa are a very good team with an exceptional bowling attack with [Morne] Morkel, [Dale] Steyn and [Makhaya] Ntini, and they are exceptionally well led by [Graeme] Smith. They will come here thinking they've got a chance, but Australia have proved again they are the toughest team in their own conditions." SCOREBOARD SECOND TEST AUSTRALIA v NEW ZEALAND At Adelaide Oval NEW ZEALAND - 1st Innings 270 AUSTRALIA - 1st Innings 535 NEW ZEALAND - 2nd Innings A REDMOND c Clarke b Lee 19

J HOW c Ponting b Lee 28

J RYDER c Symonds b Lee 3

R TAYLOR c & b Lee 1

P FULTON b Johnson 7

D FLYNN lbw Johnson 9

B McCULLUM not out 84

D VETTORI c Hayden b Hauritz 13

T SOUTHEE c Ponting b Hauritz 11

I O'BRIEN lbw Lee 0

C MARTIN b Johnson 0

Sundries (7b 8lb 13nb) 28

Total 203

Fall: 39 (Redmond), 55 (Ryder), 58 (Taylor), 63 (How), 76 (Flynn), 84 (Fulton), 105 (Vettori), 131 (Southee), 181 (O'Brien), 203 (Martin).

Bowling: B Lee 25-5-105-5 (12nb), S Clark 10-5-22-0, M Johnson 15.1-7-29-3, N Hauritz 24-11-32-2 (1nb).

Batting time: 337 mins. Overs: 74.1.

Result: Australia won by an innings and 62 runs and the series 2-0.

Full board: Page 29 SECOND TEST, DAY 4 The result: Australia won by an innings and 62 runs for a 2-0 series victory.

The pitch: A road, with some useful rough for Hauritz.

The moment: Ricky Ponting's brilliant one-handed catch after Brett Lee garnered a thick edge from Jamie How.

The number: 38 - balls faced by Iain O'Brien, who batted for almost an hour for a stubborn duck. (Only four players in history have spent more time at the crease for a duck.)

The quote: "That was the best catch I have seen live … he couldn't believe it, I couldn't believe it." Brett Lee on Ponting's effort to dismiss How.