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Johannesburg - The South African blood is still pumping through his veins, but Jonathan Trott will not be welcomed with a beer and braai at the Wanderers on Friday.
Proteas captain Graeme Smith on Thursday singled out Trott as one of the home team’s big targets when he represents England in the first Pro20 match against the country of his birth.
“Many of our players, including me, are good friends with Jonathan. We played for the national Under-19 team together and also started our careers at Western Province,” said Smith.
“However, our aim is to rid ourselves of those friendly feelings as early as the first game. To tour here is his biggest challenge to date and we want to make things as difficult as possible for him.”
Smith added that a series victory would help South Africa put an end to the exodus of players to the United Kingdom.
“People are joking already that cricketers are South Africa’s top export product, but we’d like to keep our players. If we continue to be successful, we may show that it’s not necessarily a better choice to go and play overseas,” said Smith.
Smith also took a swipe at England Test captain Andrew Strauss, who is also a South African by birth. Strauss recently angered the Proteas at the Champions Trophy tournament when he refused Smith a runner in the crucial group match between the sides. South Africa lost by 21 runs and bowed out of the tournament.
Smith said that Strauss’s decision to withdraw from this series may boomerang on the visitors.
“It’s surprising that he does not want to play in the Pro20 games because to play under a different captain on a regular basis is not ideal for any team’s planning,” said Smith.
Strauss fanned the flames earlier this week by suggesting that South Africa may still be carrying psychological scars from their recent defeat.
“He’s been saying a lot of late and that is not the way we know him,” said Smith.
“He was a quiet guy in the past, but has had a lot to say since taking over the captaincy. We’ll have to see if he can back up his words with his actions (at the crease).”
Meanwhile, England are unlikely to risk Kevin Pietersen in the weekend’s matches.
The English batting stalwart has been sidelined for the past four months due to a heel injury sustained during the Ashes series.
“I am aiming to make a comeback in Tuesday’s warm-up game in Potchefstroom (against SA 'A') and be ready for the one-day series. I have worked very hard the past few weeks and am very keen to help my country win,” said Pietersen.
Johannesburg - The South African blood is still pumping through his veins, but Jonathan Trott will not be welcomed with a beer and braai at the Wanderers on Friday.
Proteas captain Graeme Smith on Thursday singled out Trott as one of the home team’s big targets when he represents England in the first Pro20 match against the country of his birth.
“Many of our players, including me, are good friends with Jonathan. We played for the national Under-19 team together and also started our careers at Western Province,” said Smith.
“However, our aim is to rid ourselves of those friendly feelings as early as the first game. To tour here is his biggest challenge to date and we want to make things as difficult as possible for him.”
Smith added that a series victory would help South Africa put an end to the exodus of players to the United Kingdom.
“People are joking already that cricketers are South Africa’s top export product, but we’d like to keep our players. If we continue to be successful, we may show that it’s not necessarily a better choice to go and play overseas,” said Smith.
Smith also took a swipe at England Test captain Andrew Strauss, who is also a South African by birth. Strauss recently angered the Proteas at the Champions Trophy tournament when he refused Smith a runner in the crucial group match between the sides. South Africa lost by 21 runs and bowed out of the tournament.
Smith said that Strauss’s decision to withdraw from this series may boomerang on the visitors.
“It’s surprising that he does not want to play in the Pro20 games because to play under a different captain on a regular basis is not ideal for any team’s planning,” said Smith.
Strauss fanned the flames earlier this week by suggesting that South Africa may still be carrying psychological scars from their recent defeat.
“He’s been saying a lot of late and that is not the way we know him,” said Smith.
“He was a quiet guy in the past, but has had a lot to say since taking over the captaincy. We’ll have to see if he can back up his words with his actions (at the crease).”
Meanwhile, England are unlikely to risk Kevin Pietersen in the weekend’s matches.
The English batting stalwart has been sidelined for the past four months due to a heel injury sustained during the Ashes series.
“I am aiming to make a comeback in Tuesday’s warm-up game in Potchefstroom (against SA 'A') and be ready for the one-day series. I have worked very hard the past few weeks and am very keen to help my country win,” said Pietersen.
