Ken Borland

Switzerland is renown for the quality of its health care –and what could be healthier than cavorting around the mountains in all that fresh air, singing The Sound of Music? –and Proteas coach Gary Kirsten has decided that the country will be an ideal place to check on the health of the team spirit ahead of the crunch tour of England.

The South African team left Johannesburg on Monday night for Switzerland and the outdoor survival camp of explorer and compatriot Mike Horn.

“We’re joining up with Mike Horn, a South African adventurer of note, and we’re just going to hang out with a guy we respect hugely. I hope it creates some fantastic memories for the squad and team spirit will be very important against a very good side. We like to be creative and think out of the box a bit,” Kirsten said.

The activities are still a secret, but will probably involve the mountains, rivers and glaciers of the famous skiing destination, testing the mental and physical skills of the players.

The trip has been set up by new performance director Paddy Upton, one of the most respected names in the sports psychology industry and Kirsten said the four days of totally non-cricketing activity would not affect their preparations for the first Test starting on July 19 at the Oval.

“It’s not an exact science, how much preparation you need, but we’ll have 17 days together as a team before the first Test and we just wanted to cover all our bases.

“We’ll be playing against a very high-quality team, so we really need to connect as a unit. The series might well boil down to a couple of crucial moments and we want to make sure that we are up for those,” Kirsten said at OR Tambo International Airport on Monday.

“We want to become the best in the world, that’s a peg we’ve put into the ground, but it’s not our focus. What we do every day is what’s important and we will prepare as best we can. I can promise that no stone will be left unturned come July 19,” Kirsten said.

To beat England, South Africa’s batting will have to back up the attack that has caught the imagination ahead of the series.

“I know it’s more exciting to talk about bowlers hurling the ball down at 150km/h, but the batsmen also have a crucial part to play –we must have runs on the board. I believe we have enough batsmen who have done the job under pressure, they all have good records in England and those who haven’t played tests there have played a lot of county cricket. As a whole, the top six needs to be really tight,” captain Graeme Smith said.

“I also hope our attack dominates, but both sides’ bowlers are highly skilful. Imran Tahir is an asset for us because he allows us something different – an attacking spinner – but the rest of the attack needs to come to the party as well with skill and pace,” Smith said.

The South African captain has a magnificent record in England, his 1083 runs in nine Tests coming at an average of 72.20 and he will celebrate his 100th Test in the opening match of the series at the Oval from July 19.

But Smith’s focus is squarely on the series outcome.

“I’m obviously extremely proud to have the opportunity to play 100 Tests for my country and my motivation is the same as it was on my first tour of England. But I hope we win the Test – my 100th is just a side thing – and we don’t need much more motivation than beating England in England.

“Hopefully this year we can take a step forward to the next level and hang on to the No 1 ranking, but we’re up against a very good England team,” Smith said.

http://www.supersport.com/cricket/sa-team/news/120702/Fresh_Swiss_air_the_tonic_for_Proteas

South Africa coach Gary Kirsten said on Monday that the decision to visit Switzerland for a team-building exercise before their tour of England was because spirit could prove the difference between the two squads in the Test series between the number one and two ranked sides.

The South Africans left Johannesburg on Monday night and headed for Switzerland, where they will spend four days with explorer and compatriot Mike Horn at his outdoor survival camp.

They will then arrive in England on Friday, playing warm-up matches against Somerset (July 9-10) and Kent (July 13-15) before the first Test starts at the Oval on July 19.

“It’s not an exact science, how much preparation you need, but we’ll have 17 days together as a team before the first Test and we just wanted to cover all our bases.

“We’ll be playing against a very high quality team, so we really need to connect as a unit. The series might well boil down to a couple of crucial moments and we want to make sure that we are up for those,” Kirsten told a news conference at Johannesburg International Airport on Monday.

“We’re joining up with Mike Horn, a South African adventurer of note, and we’re just going to hang out with a guy we respect hugely. I hope it creates some fantastic memories for the squad and team spirit will be very important against a very good side. We like to be creative and think out of the box a bit,” Kirsten said.

South Africa captain Graeme Smith will play his 100th Test at the Oval and will also want to continue his fine form in England, where he has scored 1083 runs in nine tests at an average of 72.20.

But Smith said beating England in the series and reclaiming the number one spot for South Africa on the International Cricket Council rankings were his prime motivations.

“I’m obviously extremely proud to have the opportunity to play 100 Tests for my country and my motivation is the same as it was on my first tour of England. But I hope we win the Test – my 100th is just a side thing – and we don’t need much more motivation than beating England in England. Hopefully this year we can take a step forward to the next level and hang on to the number one ranking, but we’re up against a very good England team,” Smith said.

Smith added that even though most attention had focused on the two teams’ bowlers, the batsmen also had a key role to play.

“I hope our attack dominates, but both sides’ bowlers are highly skilful. Imran Tahir is an asset for us because he allows us something different – an attacking spinner – but the rest of the attack also needs to perform with skill and pace.

“I know it’s more exciting to talk about bowlers hurling the ball down at 150km/h, but the batsmen also have a crucial part to play – we must have runs on the board. I believe we have enough batsmen who have done the job under pressure, they all have good records in England and those who haven’t played Tests there have played a lot of county cricket. As a whole, the top six needs to be really tight,” Smith said.

“We want to become the best in the world, that’s a peg we’ve put in the ground, but it’s not our focus. What we do every day is what’s important and we will prepare as best we can. I can promise that no stone will be left unturned come July 19,” Kirsten said.

Smith said the sense of anticipation for the tour could be felt in South Africa and had rubbed off on the team.

“Just the buzz around shows how much the tour means, we feel how much the tour means to the fans. It’s between the two top teams and the England side have proven themselves over the last couple of years to be very methodical and well-drilled. They won a big series in Australia and we expect them to be well-prepared and battle-hardened.

“We respect them a lot and the cricket will be hard, no one will give an inch,” Smith said.

“Mission Accomplished” and “a pretty positive tour”. These were the words of coach Gary Kirsten and captain Graeme Smith as the South African team arrived back from New Zealand on Wednesday.

“I’m very happy with the whole tour, it was mission accomplished. We knew it would be a tough challenge, New Zealand’s not an easy place to tour and they were in-form. We made a slow start in the first T20 but then hit our straps and the quality of our cricket was of a high standard,” Kirsten said.

Having wrestled the Black Caps to the mat, Smith said his team were confident they could beat both England and Australia on their home turf later this year.

“It was a pretty positive tour for us, we played a lot of cricket on the front foot. The players were able to grow relationships and styles and how they fit into the environment and the work ethic. They were all able to find their place in the squad and Gary and his management team offered us everything possible for success.

“I definitely think we can beat both England and Australia away. We have a lot of the same players who did it in 2008/9, but we have an extra edge now in terms of the way we think about the way we play and train, plus there’s the addition of players like Vernon Philander, Marchant de Lange and Lopsy Tsotsobe.

“But we know those two teams play very well at home and you’ve got to handle the pressure of big crowds and the media being against you. England will have played a lot of competitive cricket by the time we get there and it’s a tough place to win. So it’s a very big tour for us, but we’ve crossed that hurdle before and we know we can do it,” Smith said.

South Africa were dominant in the test series but bad weather and a disputed TV referral of a catch restricted them to just a 1-0 series win. The turning down of Alviro Petersen’s effort early on in Kane Williamson’s match-saving century on the final day of the third test was the last in a series of debatable decisions based on technology, but Smith said the controversies have not sown seeds of doubt in the players’ minds over the use of the Decision Review System (DRS).

“I did read a report that there were issues with the set-up of the cameras, which obviously isn’t ideal, and there has been a lot of skepticism about the last bit of the ball-tracking. But DRS has become an integral part of the game, it’s great for the fans and I can’t imagine playing without it.

“It was designed to take away the shocking decision and it’s done that. I’d like to see it play a prominent part in international cricket,” Smith said.

Apart from captaining the team with aplomb, Smith also brought tremendous value as an opening batsman in tricky conditions, finishing as the leading run-scorer in the series with 282 runs in three tests.

“After the Kimberley ODI against Sri Lanka when I scored a seventy and then moving on to my century at the Wanderers, I worked hard on my game before the tour. Then Morne Morkel cleaned me up in the first practice, which set me back a bit. But it was great to carry that form through the tests.

“I’m starting to feel that my game is back to normal now, I’m feeling more in control of my game,” Smith said.

For Kirsten, it is now time to look forward to the England tour starting on July 9.

“I am looking forward to the tour to the United Kingdom, that’s our next big one. We have lofty standards as a team and we made great progress in New Zealand. The tour taught us about our strengths and capabilities.

“The bowling unit was outstanding, they bowled with real intensity and proved that we have a world-class attack. And the batting got better through the tour as well.

“We now have some time off, but we’ll need to spend a fair amount of time planning and strategising for England. Graeme and I live in the same city, so we’ll be doing a lot of that in the coming weeks,” Kirsten said.

http://www.supersport.com/cricket/sa-team/news/120328/Mission_accomplished_and_a_positive_tour

Coach Gary Kirsten is sure his team has the skill and talent to win anywhere in the world but believes the team’s tour of New Zealand will provide the South Africans with a stiff challenge.

“I believe we have a quality team that has enough skill and talent to confront any conditions. It’s our responsibility to do well around the world in any conditions. It is important if we want to be a champion team to win series in all formats of the game, all over the world,” Kirsten said at O.R. Tambo International Airport on Friday, just prior to the team’s departure for New Zealand.

“But New Zealand aren’t easy to beat at home, they are streetsmart and they understand their conditions, and it’s going to be a very competitive series. We need to stack up performances, to play well consistently, that’s our focus.”

Kirsten is acutely aware that, in terms of his team’s worthiness to be rated the best in the world, they have to perform consistently overseas as well and, what doesn’t come out in the wash in New Zealand is bound to come out in the rinse in England.

“We’ve set long-term goals and being number one is part of that. And this tour is also important for our tour to England. It will be more of the same over there, so this tour is not a standalone. Consistency is not just suddenly going to come right – it’s a process that takes time,” Kirsten said.

The seven-week tour is also a momentous occasion for AB de Villiers because he is captaining South Africa for the first time on tour. The 27-year-old sees the tour as an ideal opportunity for some team-spirit to grow.

“I’m very excited because it’s my first tour as captain and it means we’ll get the chance to get some team-spirit going. It’s tough doing that at home because everything’s quite disjointed. On tour, there’s nothing else for you to do but be with your team-mates.

“It was a bit of a rollercoaster against Sri Lanka and I learnt a few lessons. I enjoy being positive, but it didn’t always come off. But I thought the guys responded well to my leadership and it was a step in the right direction for me,” De Villiers said.

Kirsten added that it will be important for the team to acclimatise to the different conditions in New Zealand.

“We’re purposefully going a bit earlier than usual because the guys need a lot of time in the nets. They need time to get used to the pace and bounce, and we’ll have five full days for practice. It is different over there, even the weather – the warmest it gets is about 21 degrees. We need six or seven days to acclimatise because there’s also the jetlag to get over,” Kirsten said.

For the South Africans, there is also the small matter of revenge after New Zealand knocked them out of the World Cup in their ill-tempered last meeting.