October 16, 2003	Thursday	Sha'aban 19, 1424

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LAHORE, Oct 15: South African captain, Graeme Craig Smith, on Wednesday said that the two-Test series against Pakistan would be a tough one although he admitted that Pakistan’s spinners would be a challenge for the visitors.

“Yeah, it will be tough. If you look around visitors always struggle in the subcontinent for success and it is not an easy task to beat India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan on their own soil,” remarked Smith.

“We are now going to play serious cricket and I believe South Africa will return home with another trophy by winning the Test series after the one-day success,” he hoped.

The South African skipper brushed aside fears that the visitors would be at a disadvantage if spinners friendly wicket were prepared considering the reputation of Proteas against quality spinners claiming the boys batted well against Saqlain and Mushtaq Ahmad in ODIs.

Asked if South Africa will play with two spinners, Smith said that it would be discussed and finalised after inspecting the pitch on Thursday.

On the issue of fourth ODI at Rawalpindi and subsequent punishments Smith confessed: “We crossed the line and suffered and I think we have learned a lesson from that incident”.

Asked to comment on the goodwill gesture of Pakistan team  for not lodging any complaint against Andrew Hall, Smith said we could have also lodged a complaint against Youhana but did not do so.

All-rounder  Shaun Pollock considered his team was  favourite for the Test series specially after winning the ODI series.

Pollock said that he preferred accuracy rather than speed as most important for a fast bowler.

The former South African skipper, who lost the captaincy after Proteas fared badly in the World Cup 2003 said that he always enjoyed cricket, both as captain and as a member of the team.

All-rounder Jacques Kallis believed that the two-Test series would be tough and South African had the potential to win but acknowledged that Pakistan were always a difficult side to beat.

“In the last tour to Pakistan both teams had more world class players, but I consider this series will also be tough one”, Kallis, who is on his third visit to Pakistan, after the World Cup-1996 and tour of 1997, said.

Kallis felt that he could play international  cricket for years as he was still quite young.

Opener Boeta Dippenaar said that he was happy  over his performance in the ODI series but added he was not sure about his place in the Test eleven.

Dippenaar  who was declared Man-of-the-Series and Man-of-the-Match in the fifth ODI, said that fitness problem to Herschell Gibbs provided him a chance and he cashed in on it very well.