'Tigers too young'

WINNERS TAKE IT ALL: South Africa's Dale Steyn (L) and captain Graeme Smith pose with the man-of-the-series and man-of-the-match trophies respectively.Photo: STAR

South African captain Graeme Smith said yesterday that Bangladesh should emphasise on experience if they want to survive in Test cricket.
The left-hander praised the improvement of Bangladesh's bowling department but was surprised at the way the young players got into the Test fold.
“I think your (Bangladesh) bowling has improved. From the last time I came here five years ago, the bowling has developed. They have got more skill in that department. I don't see the batsman around who played with us five years ago,” said the surprised left-hander.
“You keep picking 19-20 year olds all the time. I think it is important that these are the guys who are identified, give them experience now. Let them learn how to play around the world, so that next time we come here, they are developed, gained experience and turn into a better player.
“If you pick 19-20 year olds every series, you are not going to get better and gain experience. Maybe Habibul (Bashar) played in that series in 2003, but the rest of the guys are all new. I think there is need to gain experience, need to take responsibility in this level,” he continued his answer on Bangladesh's poor batting performance.
Smith expressed his satisfaction over his side's performance in the two-match series which he believed would be helpful for their next series in the subcontinent -- India.
“I am very happy. I think this Test match was a really good one for us. The way we played, the way we adapted from the first Test match. You know, just a little bit of time we had to think about things, to implement the things (since Dhaka Test). I think these two Test matches were really beneficial for us,” he said.
Smith however believe that they will get a much better Bangladesh in the three-match one-day series.
“In the one-day format, Bangladesh have some good players, which is good for them in this condition,” he opined.
The South African skipper, who termed his world record opening partnership with Neil McKenzie a special and terrific one, however was looking forward to their next assignment in India.
“We have got the bowlers who have got pace, who have aggression. In Pakistan we adapted, we adapted in Bangladesh and now we are going to do the same in India. It is key for us to find a format that is going to work for us. We have really adapted to the conditions here. So hopefully we can do well in India,” he said.
On the other hand, man-of-the-series Dale Steyn who almost single-handedly destroyed Bangladesh's batting with a display of real fast bowling said that he was working hard to do much better than what he did now.
“I think I am bowling nicely. I am quite happy with the way I am going at the moment, with the result at the end of the day. It shows that hard work is paying off. But obviously there is always room for improvement, I don't want to settle for what I am doing right now. I can do better. I want to keep working hard, keep trying to improve my game,” he said.
“Conditions have allowed us to use it in this Test match. In the first Test, there was hardly any bounce in the wicket., you know there was more reverse swing in that game. Here there wasn't much reverse swing around, only during the later part of our innings. So we had to find other ways to get people out. With the wicket having little bit of more carry, it definitely allowed us to be more aggressive,” he explained the reasons behind his success in Chittagong.