By Ken Borland
JOHANNESBURG Feb 10 (Reuters) – South Africa’s upcoming
battles with “streetsmart” New Zealand are an important warm-up
for their England tour later this year as the Proteas get there
early to hone their skills, coach Gary Kirsten said on Friday.
The South Africans left Johannesburg for New Zealand on
Friday and will play three Twenty20 internationals, three
one-day internationals and three tests between Feb. 17 and March
27.
“It’s our responsibility to do well around the world in any
conditions,” Kirsten told a news conference at Johannesburg
Airport.
“We’ve set long-term goals and this series is part of that.
It’s important for our tour to England because it’s going to be
a very competitive series. New Zealand aren’t easy to beat at
home and we need to stack up performances, to play well
consistently, that’s our focus.
“It will then be more of the same for the England tour. This
New Zealand tour is not a standalone event. Developing
consistency is not suddenly just going to come right, it’s a
process that takes time.”
Former South Africa opener Kirsten, who won the World Cup as
India coach last year, said New Zealand’s greatest strength was
their ability to think on their feet.
“They are streetsmart and understand their conditions well,”
Kirsten said.
“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 they’ll have five good days of
practice. It is different over there, even the weather – the
warmest it gets is about 21 degrees.”
Continued…
