News APP

NewsApp (Free)

Read news as it happens
Download NewsApp

Available on  gplay

Rediff.com  » Sports » Australia confident of trouble-free South Africa tour

Australia confident of trouble-free South Africa tour

By Ken Borland
February 21, 2006 22:31 IST
Get Rediff News in your Inbox:

Australia coach John Buchanan is confident his side's six-week South Africa tour will pass without any contentious issues both on and off the field.

"We will take every possible precaution against any disciplinary incidents but we hope to leave South Africa unscathed," Buchanan told a news conference at the team's hotel in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

"Our recent record has been pretty well exemplary, with just the odd incident, and the management will reiterate the same approach, but we won't be doing anything more than normal."

The tourists have encountered trouble with crowds in South Africa before and claims that several players of the Proteas side were racially abused during the recently completed Australia tour have only added to the tension.

"Nasty things have been said ... I have lost respect for one or two of their players," South Africa wicketkeeper Mark Boucher was quoted as saying in The Wisden Cricketer magazine this week.

"I hope our public give them a bit of stick, because we've taken a serious amount.

"In the past our crowds haven't been too great with them, but trust me, we're not going to sit back and say 'shame, poor things'."

Australian captain Ricky Ponting offered a different perspective.

"There is no dislike between the two teams and the cricket this (southern hemisphere) summer has been played in very good spirits and I'm sure it will continue in that manner," he said.

GENUINELY HAPPY

Wicketkeeper and vice-captain Adam Gilchrist said his team were delighted to be in South Africa and were not expecting excessive abuse or provocation.

"Obviously a lot has been said about the incidents in Australia, but I don't think that's going to lead to anything more drastic here," Gilchrist told Reuters.

"You expect to take flak anywhere in the world and abuse will be there, but I don't think it will be untoward.

"There's a lot more spoken about what happens on the field than what actually happens on the field.

"The hospitality in South Africa is second to none and we really enjoy being here. Everyone seems so genuinely happy to see us here."

Australia will be going into the first match of the tour, a Twenty20 international at the Wanderers in Johannesburg on Friday, without batsman Mike Hussey or pace bowler Glenn McGrath.

McGrath has withdrawn from the limited-overs series of the tour, which also includes five one-day matches, to spend more time with his sick wife.

Hussey, meanwhile, has remained in Australia as his wife is expected to give birth this week and the middle order batsman is hoping to join up with the squad before the first one-day international in Centurion, Pretoria on Sunday.

Ponting is disappointed by McGrath's absence but is confident his team will cope.

"I couldn't be much happier with the way Nathan Bracken and Stuart Clark have stepped in and stepped up," the captain added.

"Brett Lee has been fantastic as the spearhead while Glenn has not been there. It just seems to lift him, he thrives on the added responsibility and his own game has been in such good shape."

Following the one-dayers, the sides will play three Test matches starting in Cape Town on March 16.
Get Rediff News in your Inbox:
Ken Borland
Source: REUTERS
© Copyright 2024 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of Reuters content, including by framing or similar means, is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of Reuters. Reuters shall not be liable for any errors or delays in the content, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon.

INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE 2024

INDIAN PREMIER LEAGUE 2024