Mickey Arthur: Proteas under Boucher will be a dangerous, aggressive team

Mickey Arthur pronounced himself a very happy coach after Sri Lanka’s first training session in South Africa on Monday and, while acknowledging conditions will be tougher for his side than the last time they were here, he says the tourists have very good players and all bases are covered.

Arthur, who coached the Proteas from 2005-2010, brought Pakistan to these shores two years ago for a Test series they lost 3-0. And two of those Tests were at Centurion and the Wanderers, where Sri Lanka’s two matches are this time around, a far cry from the slower and lower pitches of Kingsmead and St George’s Park, where they beat South Africa 2-0 later that same summer.

“Conditions were totally different to what Sri Lanka had when they just followed Pakistan here and played down at the coast,” Arthur said on Monday.

“We had Centurion and the Wanderers and I don’t want to bring up old scars but I did have a bit of a whinge and moan about the pitches. I saw Centurion today and I think we will get good South African pitches – a bit seamer-friendly, but that’s okay.

“The boys only arrived two days ago but they were outstanding today in training, I was very impressed by the standard, the effort and the attitude, so I’m a very happy coach.

“The Proteas are a very dangerous team for sure, they will be very well prepared, coached and led, and we are by no means favourites but I know we are playing very good cricket and we have some very good players, all bases are covered.”

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While replicating the shock result of 2019 is obviously the Sri Lankan team’s overall goal for the series, Arthur said the focus is on constant improvement for a team that is currently sixth in the ICC World Test Championship, two places higher than South Africa.

“This is a young team but I expect them to just get better and better,” said Arthur.

“The focus is very much on ourselves as a team instead of on the opposition. We want to create consistency around selection and roles, although our strategies and game-plans will be a lot different over here. This is a massive series for us; Sri Lanka were the first Asian team to win a series in South Africa and we would love to replicate that.”

It goes without saying that Proteas coach Mark Boucher will be extremely determined to reverse the 2019 result under Ottis Gibson. But Arthur played a major role in Boucher’s career when he was still coaching in South Africa and Sri Lanka’s coach is obviously still a bit of a cheerleader for his opposite number.

“Mark Boucher and I go back a helluva long way. He was always an aggressive player so I’m sure he’ll be an aggressive coach and I look forward to locking horns with him,” Arthur said.

“I know the psyche of the Proteas, how they will attack us, and I’m sure they will play good, hard, aggressive cricket. Quinton de Kock is a wonderful player, he leads from the front, and he always plays his cricket in the same way as Boucher,” Arthur said.

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