Smith Insists Proteas Are Ready

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Smith - insists his side are ready.

By Richard Gibson, PA Sport, Barbados

South Africa's preparations for their World Cup 'quarter-final' against England have been overshadowed by reports their players were drinking heavily in the early hours of Sunday morning.

Saturday's defeat by New Zealand in Grenada left the South Africans with a simple equation going into Tuesday's match at Kensington Oval: win or go home.

Victory will secure their semi-final spot while defeat would give England and even perhaps West Indies hope of reaching the final four.

The loss to Stephen Fleming's Black Caps was South Africa's third in the tournament and left them with six points in the Super Eight standings, two ahead of England.

Afterwards captain Graeme Smith and half-a-dozen other players went to a bar and some were reported to be highly intoxicated, allegations South Africa's cricket chief executive Gerald Majola is investigating.

"After a game if a couple of guys want to go out and blow off some steam I have no issue with it," said Smith. "It's a long tournament, there is a lot of pressure around and the guys will be well prepared tomorrow.

"We have drinking rules and if guys push the limit that will be discussed and dealt with.

"We've probably been the quietest team in this World Cup purely because of where we've been based.

"To attack our guys for one night's relaxation is not something I am going to do.

"There probably were guys who had a few drinks but I don't know what highly intoxicated is."

South African supporters rang into a Johannesburg radio station to complain of their team's behaviour - in echoes of what English fans did in St Lucia last month when six players were punished for breaking team discipline.

"I will be leaving for the Caribbean on Tuesday and have asked team management to prepare a full report on the allegations to be ready on my arrival," Majola said.

"I have been in contact with the team and they have assured me nothing untoward has happened. I will therefore wait for the report before I make a decision on further steps to be taken."

On the field, the extra pace and bounce on offer in Bridgetown should encourage South Africa's battery of fast bowlers and strokemaking batsmen, although England have the advantage of playing once here already.

"It does seem to have a little more pace and bounce which will suit us," said Smith. "We hope to get into the game as soon as we can."

The South Africans arrived in the Caribbean as the number-one ranked team in the world but were blitzed by Australia in the group stage and comfortably defeated by the Bangladeshis, which suggests tomorrow's contest will be more even than the 4-1 series win for the Proteas between the countries two years ago.

"Consistently our one-day form has been better over the last couple of years," said Smith. "They've won some big games recently but both of us have had ups and downs coming into this tournament.

"Both teams know each other pretty well and there are some big players on each side."

England's biggest threat Kevin Pietersen has had major differences with Smith since turning his back on South African cricket to pursue a career with the land of his mother's birth.

Smith once said he was patriotic about South Africa and that is why he did not like Pietersen.

"We've had our run-ins, this is an important game of cricket and he is an important cog in that England set-up," said Smith. "How we knock him over is going to be important.

"As far as his cricket ability goes we have respect for that and we will show that tomorrow.

"He is one of the best one-day players in the world at the moment, we will have plans to attack him and we will be well prepared."

South Africa may axe spinner Robin Peterson to play an extra paceman while Herschelle Gibbs is fully fit following a calf problem.