Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith said yesterday an announcement on his rejoining the team in a consulting role to help boost confidence and impart ideas was premature and he was still considering the offer.
Smith worked with some of the under-pressure team’s batsmen on the eve of the second Test against England at Newlands after their 241-run defeat in the first Test in Durban, where he had been critical of their form in his radio and television analysis.
“They are low on confidence,” he said of South Africa’s current batsmen, “and I was asked after Durban to come down and work with them.
“I’ve since been offered an extended role but it is something I need to consider as I already have commitments. The way it was announced was not right,” he told BBC’s Test Match Special, where the 34-year-old former Test opener is serving as a pundit.
South Africa’s Test side are ranked top in the world but have not won in their last seven Tests, hammered in India in November and comprehensively beaten by England in Durban on Wednesday.
“I was trying to find a feel good factor as they are low on confidence,” said Smith of his work on Friday. “If you are out of form you can spend too much time over-analysing and working yourself over mentally.”