Catching up...and down

Arthur on Graeme Smith: 'I think he's brilliant. He's brave, he's a leader and the guys love him' © AFP

That was not the easiest first assignment, away to Australia. Was the 2-0 defeat a fair reflection?
We started to realise just how close we actually were to Australia. There were a lot of 'ifs' and 'if onlys' during the Test series but I think we matched them most of the time. We let ourselves down by missing a couple of big opportunities and we were certainly on the wrong end of some decisions, crucial decisions...

Was it a fair result?
I don't think we were ready to win the series but I know where our shortcomings are and I know what to do to get better. But we are close to Australia and, over the next two or three years, I believe we can match them. The declaration in the final Test gave them a chance to win because we lost the fourth day to rain and Ricky Ponting played a classic innings to make the series 2-0 when we were desperate to square it. So maybe 2-0 was flattering but they were the better team and deserved to win.

South Africa dropped vital catches that cost them. Four Aussies made centuries after being dropped before they reached 30. Was that the difference?
That's simplistic. You never know what would have happened. The game could have run a completely different course. A lot of the catches were difficult ones. Barring Langeveldt's in Perth [Brett Lee at mid-on], Nel's [Ponting at square leg] and Kallis's [Hussey at second slip] in Melbourne, and I admit the two in Melbourne were crucial, the rest were one-handed diving chances. Yes, we need them to stick, of course we do. But our preparation was superb. We identified as a team before we left South Africa that catching was going to play a huge role, especially catching behind the wicket which we spent hours and hours practising. Sometimes, and this is a lesson I can learn, when you put too much emphasis on something it plays on the team's mind. Maybe you apply pressure when there needn't be any. But catching cost us dearly. Very dearly.

It looked as if South Africa froze when they had Australia on the ropes.
I think that's exactly right. We said before the tour that there would come moments when we could beat these guys. I believe our guys recognised those moments and thought `wow, this is it!' They were tense during those moments, on edge thinking `we have to take this chance'. Then, when the catch came, the hands were hard and, oops, down she went.

Four Aussies made centuries after being dropped before they reached 30 © Getty Images

You are very close to Graeme Smith. How much do you admire him?
I think he's brilliant. He's brave, he's a leader and the guys love him. What he does for this team is amazing and, for a 24-year-old ... it's crazy. When he talks, people listen. Some people are born with an aura like that. He's taken people head-on since he became captain and he normally backs it up with runs. He didn't in Australia but, hopefully, he'll put that right when we play them at home.

What do you think of the sniping that took place between him and Shane Warne in the newspapers during the series?
That brings out the best in Graeme. It wasn't a major distraction for him. There were times when he was mentally jaded through the series because of the constant pressure of the cricket. I said to the guys on the second morning of the first Test: "Right, this could be the most important day of the whole series." Then I said it the next day, too. And the next. I found myself saying it every single morning. Every day became more important than the next. It wears you down, especially as captain.

He seems to irritate the opposition, especially the captains.
He's an out-there kind of person [laughs]. He has an aura of invincibility. He strides to the wicket as though he owns the ground and I suppose he's irritating, in a way, always moving the sightscreen and fiddling ... And he's not scared to say what he feels.

Is it all an act? Is he aware of how much he gets under peoples' skin?
I'm not sure that he's aware of all of it. Because he gets under the skin, tempers become shorter than normal with him. People see things that aren't there.

There is a perception that you are too nice a guy to be a national coach. Is this fair?
If I think that a guy is doing something to the detriment of the team, then he will know about it. It has already happened on numerous occasions. Every player must know what the boundaries are, so there are no grey areas. Communication is my strength. I am a listener and I build relationships with players, not just around cricket but around anything on their minds. They must be able to come and talk to me about anything, at any time. But I can be a table-thumper if I have to.

You are not a `big name' coach and you do not have international experience. Your view on that?
The big name coaches often don't know what it's like to struggle. I have no reputation to protect and I am not on an ego trip. I will take and use all the help I can get.