Cricket: South Africans braced for outbursts from 'the slimy one'

It's official - the South African players regard coach John Bracewell as the most annoying member of the New Zealand touring squad by some distance.

Star allrounder Jacques Kallis has already made his feelings about Bracewell known this week and South African skipper Graeme Smith yesterday went a step further, drawing a parallel between the New Zealand coach and the ultra-conservative high veldt Boers.

New Zealand and South Africa have been fighting a war of words on and off the field since 2003-04, when Kiwi skipper Stephen Fleming launched a calculated verbal assault on Smith, and Kyle Mills and Brendon McCullum had skirmishes with Jacques Kallis.

Bracewell was singled out last year as "the slimy one" by Smith and it seems the South Africans see little reason to soften their stance.

"Considering Bracewell's laager mentality, he's probably starting the test series in the best place, in Pretoria," Smith chuckled during yesterday's media conference.

"They tried it [sledging] against us in the ODI series [last September] and it didn't work but we're ready for anything in the tests. They're always street-smart in the way they go about things. They niggle but they're very smart in terms of when and who they niggle."

Bracewell has also been singled out by the Australians for his sometimes contrary and often conspiratorial outbursts, including allegations that the Queensland curator was watering the pitch mid-test and claims that Channel Nine was manipulating its technology for the benefit of the local team.

He was lampooned mercilessly by Shane Warne three summers ago, the Australian spinner suggesting the New Zealand players were embarrassed by his tendency to make "ridiculous" comments and to imagine all sorts of wrong-doings.

"It's something we're pretty well prepared for now after coming off the back of the recent battles against Australia," said Smith. "We're tougher for the experience, we're mentally harder now and I think that will be advantageous for us if there is any silly stuff."

Kallis, receiving his 100th cap along with Fleming and South African Shaun Pollock in the opening test that started overnight at Centurion, said: "I think that's the way New Zealand play their cricket. They try to get under the opposition's skin and we expect that. I'm sure Bracewell plays a big role in whatever decisions they make in that regard."