A 27-member South African cricket team arrived in Karachi on Wednesday afternoon. The officials of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the Karachi City Cricket Association (KCCA) accorded the tourists a warm welcome. The squad, led by Graeme Smith, comprises of 14 players and 13 officials including the manager and the coach. The Proteas will play a three-day first class game, two Tests and five one-day internationals during their month-long tour. Tight security was seen at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport with policemen and commandos surrounding Smith’s men as they left the terminal building. The squad was whisked away from the airport to their hotel in a heavily guarded police motorcade. A spokesman for the PCB told Daily Times yesterday that board had made tight security arrangements for the Proteas to avoid any untoward incident. South Africa last visited the troubled city during the 1996 World Cup. They refused to play in Karachi over security fears on their tours in 1997 and 2003.Left-handed batsman Jean-Paul Duminy is the only uncapped player in an otherwise experienced squad while Smith, Mark Boucher, Herschelle Gibbs, Jacques Kallis, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini and Shaun Pollock are the seven survivors of the Proteas’ last tour to Pakistan four years ago.Addressing a press conference at a local hotel, Smith said he wanted his team to focus on playing challenging and entertaining cricket. He brushed aside the security concerns “I am not going to lie, it is different how we live back home but it is not the first time we are facing this. We will put security concerns aside to focus on playing good hard cricket,” Smith added. He said security had become part of the sports. “Security is becoming a part of international sports and we have the security men who travel with us around the world. These things are put in place everywhere in the world, it is something we have come to terms with and we are realistic about it. We trust the people who are in the job, it’s left to them so that we can go out and play cricket.”

However, the South African captain felt that it would be mentally tough for not only his players, but also for Pakistan to shift their focus back on Test cricket after playing the newly introduced shorter version of the game – Twenty20. “I think mentally it is going to be tough challenge not only for us but also for Pakistan too to get your mind set changed for the longer version of the game,” Smith said.To a question, Smith said he was not worried whether senior Pakistan players Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Yousuf and Inzamamul Haq would play in the Test series. “We just believe in going about our usual thought process. But obviously Yousuf is a top-class player and was Test player of the year. But I think Pakistan are also going through a rebuilding process and must get used to it.”South African coach Micky Arthur said both South Africa and Pakistan were trying to improve their Test rankings. South Africa are placed fifth and Pakistan sixth. “The fact that both we and Pakistan are on the same boat, trying to go up on the ladder makes the series enthralling,” said Arthur. “We have some good series coming up so we have a chance to blood a young team that could carry us for a couple of years to come and Pakistan are on the same track as we are,” said he.

Pakistan captain Shoaib Malik arrived in Karachi on the same flight as the South African squad and told reporters that his young team, who lost the Twenty20 World Cup final against India on Monday, were in good spirits. “The confidence and morale of the players is high and we are confident of doing well in the Test series against South Africa,” he said. Malik added the Twenty20 World Cup had given Pakistan team a ‘big confidence’. “I think this tournament is the start of a new era for Pakistan cricket. I am happy we have been able to turn a corner after our poor performance in the main World Cup.”Malik said his young side could transform their Twenty20 form into success in the forthcoming Test series against South Africa. “South Africa are a very good team so we have to be at our best to beat them. But I am confident that we have some good players who can transform their Twenty20 form into Test cricket,” Malik maintained. The Test series will be Malik’s first as captain since he was appointed in the wake of Pakistan’s first-round exit from the World Cup in the West Indies in March. “We don’t think about what happened in the past; our focus is on the future, especially on the series against South Africa, then the tour of India and finally on the series against Australia.” Pakistan tour India later this year to play three Tests and five one-day internationals before hosting Australia for the same number of matches in March and April of 2008.

South African squad

Players: Graeme Smith (captain), Hashim Amla, Mark Boucher, AB de Villers, Jean Paul Duminy, Herchelle Gibbs, Paul Harris, Jacques Kallis, Morne Morkel, Andre Nel, Makhaya Ntini, Shaun Pollock, Ashwell Prince and Del Steyn.Officials: Dr Logan Naidoo (manager), Goolam Rajah (logistics manager), Micky Arthur (coach), V Barnes (assistant coach), S Jabar (physio), G Compton (physical trainer), R Muller (massuer), M Owen Smith (media manager), H Coertzen (computer analyst) and Dr K Von Hagen (medical DR). Security officials: Mohammad Zunaid Wade, Faysal Nagel, and Kirk Botha.