Taunton: South Africa’s cricket captain Graeme Smith has set his side the challenge of displacing England as the world`s number one Test side during their forthcoming three-match series.
England lead the ICC rankings by a mere point, with the Proteas in second place.
According to reports, the South Africans had their first net of their tour at Taunton on Saturday ahead of Monday`s match against Somerset.
"We hope getting to number one can be a reward for our consistency. We have been touching the (top of the) rankings for a long time now. We had a taste of it for a small while (in 2008). We`ve been top two and top three for a long time now and very close to the pinnacle,” Smith said.
He added: "We are hoping now with everything we`ve done, and the way we`ve prepared, and are going to prepare, that we will be ready for the first Test at The Oval (starting July 19)."
The opening batsman led South Africa to a 2-1 Test series win during their last tour of England four years ago and he was confident the current side could repeat that success.
ANI
First Published: Sunday, July 08, 2012, 12:04