We have improved, says Smith

Graeme Smith believes his South African team have made their biggest advances yet in learning how to fight their way out of trouble in the best Australian style.

"For me one of the great things in this series, except in this last Test match, was that, when we got into trouble, somebody always stepped up to the mark and made an impact," he said.

"That is the mark of a great side. Australia are known as the best side in the world and, when they get into trouble, somebody always gets them out.

"That is starting to happen within our squad. The boys are hungry for big results. The batters are getting in and getting big scores. There haven't been too many 80s and 90s. We have got some big hundreds on this tour and that has been fantastic to see.

"We have improved a lot on the bowling front but we can get better with our disciplines and patience. We can get a lot more consistent, but we have improved a lot from where we started the series to where we are now.

"We are still looking for a really good spinner. Gogi (Paul Adams) is working hard and he is going to play a big role in Pakistan. We are going to have to do a lot of work on that front."

Smith also reflected on his first major tour as captain and the pressure on his batting and was happy with the way he had dealt with both areas.

"You have to grow up pretty quickly when you become captain of your national side. I have had to mature quickly and I have really enjoyed the job. I have enjoyed the responsibility.

"Having a fantastic group of guys around me has also made the job a lot easier. This applies particularly to the management team - Eric (Simons), Corrie (van Zyl) and Goolam (Rajah) - and the medical team. A lot of the

credit I have got on this tour goes to them as well.

"There are moments when you are in the limelight which are fantastic and then there are moments when the team hasn't played so well and you have to go out and explain to the Press why you haven't been so good.

"There are ups and downs that come with any job and I am prepared to take both. South African cricket is on the right path and this is a fantastic team. It has got a lot of pride, they have a lot of passion for their country and they are hungry for success.

"They are hungry to take South Africa back to the top. They were written off before the start of the series and there is no doubt that they have bounced back.

"As far as my batting goes, it was really fantastic to get those two big scores. At the start of the series I took the batters out to dinner and we spoke about taking responsibility and that is where the motto 'never satisfied' started."

The South African selectors will not look outside the one-day and Test squads that travelled to England for the tour to Pakistan.

The key areas are covered and there are also enough reserves on board. Players on the fringe will have to wait until domestic cricket resumes to bid for selection in the home series against the West Indies.

Morne van Wyk, who made his debut in the one-day final at Lord's, is expected to be given further chances to press his claims ahead of Boeta Dippenaar and Martin van Jaarsveld.