Arthur - We can still win

South Africa coach believes a good start is vital

Last updated: 6th January 2009   Subscribe to RSS Feed

Arthur - We can still win

Arthur: Believes his side can win

I doubt Graeme will come out tomorrow but if there is one over or two overs to see out to draw or one or two required to win, I think we're going to need a chain to chain him down in the dressing room.

Mickey Arthur
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South Africa coach Mickey Arthur insists his side can go on to win the third Test in Sydney, despite requiring another 314 runs on the final day.

Having been set 376 to win by Australia, the Proteas reached 62-1 at the close of day four.

But with skipper Graeme Smith unlikely to bat after damaging his left hand, the tourists face a tall order to reach the target on a ground where no-one has passed 288 to win a Test.

Arthur, though, believes that if his side can get off to a good start then there is no reason why they can't match their first Test heroics - when the South Africans chased down 414 to win in Perth.

"If we can get ourselves to tea then we'll have a look. If we are unscathed at tea time then we'll be ready to launch a proper assault," Arthur said.

"There is a dressing room full of guys that don't want to give an inch.

"The guys have given their all and have been absolutely amazing for 14 days and none of us want to end up losing the last Test match.

Battling

"We went through that in England this year where we played fantastically well and went 2-0 up and lost the last Test match in a dead rubber. It took the gloss of our Test victories a little bit so we learnt the hard way there.

"There will be guys battling really hard to make sure it's either 2-0 or 3-0 and not 2-1."

Although Smith is not expected to bat, Arthur admitted it could be hard to stop his skipper going out if the match was in the balance.

He said: "I doubt Graeme will come out tomorrow but if there is one over or two overs to see out to draw or one or two required to win, I think we're going to need a chain to chain him down in the dressing room.

"I'm not taking the possibility of Smith batting totally out of the equation but it is very, very and highly, highly unlikely."

Australia batsman Mike Hussey believes that the Baggy Greens need to pull together as a team if they are to stop South Africa completing a historic 3-0 whitewash.

"It's going to take all of us, like it did in the first innings," Hussey said.

"I know Peter Siddle got the rewards (in the first innings) and got the five wickets but it was a collective effort and I think all the guys bowled particularly well.

"It's going to take a good hard grind of all the bowlers bowling well in partnerships, being patient, being disciplined - the things that we always talk about in our meetings - and hopefully a few tricks from the pitch would be nice as well to get us a couple of wickets."