Downbeat Graeme Smith urges SA to regroup

Profiles / Editor / 07 April 2007 / Leave a Comment

South Africa skipper Graeme Smith admitted that the shock 67-run defeat to Bangladesh was hard to take and has called on his players to bounce back quickly.

The Proteas won the toss and put Bangladesh into bat but let their opponents off the hook, with Mohammad Ashraful steering the Tigers to 251-8, after they had slipped to 84-4.

The world's number one side failed to get going in their response once Jacques Kallis (32 off 36 balls) had fallen and were eventually dismissed for 184, with only Herschelle Gibbs (56) getting to grips with the Bangladeshi attack.

Smith, unable to take anything positive out of the game, was obviously disappointed with the loss and has urged his players to regroup for the next three games.

"I thought there were patches when we bowled well," said Smith. "We had them under pressure at times but we released that pressure.

"However 250 was still chasable with the short boundary and the way we have been playing. That was disappointing.

"It's one of those days when you try to come up with the right thing to say but there's no right thing to say.

"We didn't play any kind of cricket that we're capable of and it's hard to take a positive out of any facet of the game.

"We've just got to take our pain. It is a big loss and we're hugely disappointed.

"We have to regroup pretty quickly as the next three games are crucial."

The Proteas face a tricky test against West Indies in Grenada on Tuesday as the host nation will be desperate for the win to keep their semi-final hopes alive.

Smith's side are expected to bounce back from their Bangladesh misery and are strong 1.43 favourites to claim the two points, with the Caribbean outfit on offer at 3.05.

Punters also appear to feel the Proteas will book their place in the semi-finals as they are odds on, alongside New Zealand and Sri Lanka with no price offered on Australia.

South Africa are now available at 7.6 to lift the trophy on April 28, having been matched previously at a low of 4, behind Australia (2.3), Sri Lanka (5.4) and New Zealand (5.5).