Kallis set to step up

Jacques Kallis looks set to take the reins as Graeme Smith rests an elbow injury

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Jacques Kallis will be asked to take on the captaincy of South Africa if - as expected - Graeme Smith succumbs to tennis elbow for the third match of the NatWest Series.

Smith is extremely doubtful for Friday’s encounter, one the tourists must win to retain hopes of a victorious campaign.

The 27-year-old played through the pain in England’s opening successes at Headingley Carnegie and Trent Bridge, and admitted after yesterday’s crushing defeat in Nottingham that he should have rested the injury.

All-rounder Kallis is therefore expected to lead the Proteas out at the Brit Oval despite quitting the vice-captaincy last year after being dropped from the Twenty20 squad.

Kallis has captained South Africa in seven one-day internationals - filling in for Smith in two separate stints in 2006 and 2007 - and experienced wicketkeeper Mark Boucher promoted his colleague as the one to lead in the current series.

“I know he gave up the vice-captaincy a little while ago because there were a few issues there and there probably still are a few issues,” Boucher said. “But if it’s as a stand-in and an emergency I don’t think he will say no to helping the team out.”

Boucher has also been in charge in the past and is expected to be Kallis’ on-field lieutenant as South Africa attempt to drag themselves out of the wreckage of a 10-wicket defeat yesterday and repeat the kind of comeback they last managed five years ago.

“I said to the guys in the changing room after the game that not all is lost,” Boucher explained.

“We have been 2-0 down before and came back to win that series in Pakistan. Somehow we have got to try to do it again.

“It seems a long way away to win three games in a row but England have won two in a row and it’s only one more game than that.

“There’s no reason why we can’t change momentum. It’s going to take a massive effort from the senior players but it’s an opportunity for us to stand up and be counted.

Mark Boucher has called on the senior players to inspire a fightback at the Brit Oval

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“We have talked about trying to forget what happened at Trent Bridge but you can’t.

“One or two of the senior guys are really going to have to respond now if we are going to have any chance at all in the series.

“It’s not as if we were ‘not there’. It was different from the first game when all the batsmen got in and then gave it away, and got out at bad times.”

Whereas previous South Africa teams seemed to be crammed full of batting all-rounders, the current model rose to the world number one ranking with the use of specialists.

Conversely, that has meant no Shaun Pollock, Andrew Hall, Lance Klusener or Nicky Boje performing rescue acts when things have gone awry early on.

Their lack of presence has undoubtedly increased the pressure on the top order, which was blown away by Stuart Broad as South Africa were bowled out for a paltry 83 at Trent Bridge.

“Yes, it probably has,” Boucher confirmed. “But that is the way we decided to go with selection - we are playing wicket-taking bowlers.

“We were criticised in the past for not having wicket-takers, so we have gone with this kind of selection.

“So it is about knuckling down, and one of the top four has to bat through and get a hundred every time.

“We don’t want to pack the team with nine batsmen and send the message to the top order that there are other people that can do the job.

“We have got to put the responsibility on the top six batsmen. That is why they are in the side.”