Pakistan lead the series 2-0 after a thrilling eight-run win in the first match on Friday and an emphatic 42-run win on Sunday, both in Lahore.
“We are going to play real good cricket from now on,” Smith said, naming early run-outs for his team’s downfall in the opening games of the five-match series.
“We shot ourselves in the foot with three stupid run outs and we were out of the game within 20 minutes. We played some good cricket and bad cricket so we need consistency.”
Chasing a target of 278 in the first match, South Africa were outlasted by the home team with pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar taking four wickets.
Shoaib’s partner Mohammad Sami helped demolish the visitors with figures of 3-20. Three run-outs put paid to South African efforts in the second match on Sunday.
“Sami and Shoaib are very good one-day bowlers and in both games we were solidly placed but we panicked to lose the games,” Smith said.
Smith and batsman Neil McKenzie had cramps in the first game but the South African captain refused to agree that heat was a factor in his side’s defeats.
“It has nothing to do with hot conditions although we played in winter against England recently but conditions are different and the crowd was right behind the Pakistan team,” he said.
The Proteas badly missed experienced opener Herschelle Gibbs who was kept out of both matches because of muscle problems. Although he remains in the squad, Morne van Wyk has been flown in as a potential back-up.
Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, a doubtful starter for the match after pulling a hamstring in his right leg on Sunday, said he was wary of South Africa staging a comeback.
“The South Africans are world class side and such a team can stage a comeback, so we need to keep guarding that as well,” said Inzamam, who has won all nine one-dayers in which he has led Pakistan.
Yousuf Youhana will lead the side if Inzamam is unable to play. Pakistan has included batsman Naved Latif as cover for Inzamam while leg-spinner Danish Kaneria has also been brought into the 16-man squad.
Injured spinner Mushtaq Ahmed and opener Salman Butt were left out.
Teams (from):
Pakistan: Inzamam-ul-Haq (captain), Mohammad Hafeez, Yasir Hameed, Yousuf Youhana, Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, Abdul Razzaq, Rashid Latif, Saqlain Mushtaq, Danish Kaneria, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Shabbir Ahmed, Umer Gul, Naved Latif, Faisal Iqbal.
South Africa: Graeme Smith (captain), Mark Boucher, Jacques Kallis, Shaun Pollock, Neil McKenzie, Jacques Rudolph, Robin Peterson, Andrew Hall, Alan Dawson, Makhaya Ntini, Charl Langeveldt, Andre Nel, Boeta Dippenaar, Herschelle Gibbs, Morne van Wyk
Umpires: Darrell Hair (Australia) and Nadeem Ghauri (Pakistan).
TV umpire: Aleem Dar (Pakistan).
Match referee: Clive LIoyd (West Indies).
HALL INCIDENT
Pakistan have decided not to file a complaint about an incident involving South Africa’s all-rounder Andrew Hall and Pakistan’s Yousuf Youhana in the second One-day International in Lahore on Sunday.
The pair clashed in the 13th over of Pakistan’s innings and television replays suggested that after the batsman exchanged words with Hall he was elbowed as he took a single.
Hall then confronted him, touching his bat and thrusting his face in Youhana’s, who responded angrily before umpire Nadeem Ghauri stepped between the players.
Darrell Hair, the ICC umpire from Australia, cautioned them both.
On Sunday, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Tauqir Zia and chief executive Ramiz Raja said on television that the Pakistan team would be filing a complaint with match referee Clive Lloyd of the West Indies.
But PCB sources said the Pakistani team management had changed its mind to avoid bad blood with the South Africans.
Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq said he would not be lodging a complaint.
“I don’t want to comment on it but we have decided not to lodge any complaint with the match referee and it is a team decision,” he said.
“We just want to concentrate on the series and if the match referee wants to take action he can take action. Everyone has seen it on television,” Inzamam said.
The Hall-Youhana incident was reminiscent of the Ramnaresh Sarwan and Glenn McGrath clash during Australia’s Test series in the West Indies earlier this year.
South African skipper Smith said he could not comment on the incident as he had not seen it properly but felt both players were to blame.
Pakistan’s former captain Rashid Latif was banned for five matches in the one-day series against Bangladesh by match referee Mike Procter after Bangladesh’s manager complained he took a contentious catch in the third Test in Multan.
Former Pakistan captain Zaheer Abbas said action should be taken to stop the game falling into disrepute.
“Everyone saw what happened (between Hall and Youhana). It was not a good advertisement for the sport,” he said. “Action must be taken against the guilty players.”
International Cricket Council (ICC) match referees have come under fire in recent months for their failure to curb sledging and other incidents on the field.
ICC chief executive Malcolm Speed has assumed powers to act against any players on the basis of television evidence if they bring the game into disrepute.—AFP/Reuters