Ricky Ponting was already taking his first digs at the South African team when he stated that the South African team was in chaos with Graeme Smith having returned home.
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Ponting was of the opinion that South African looked a disarrayed lot during the two Twenty20 matches and that were always going to slip up on the intensity once Smith was no longer in the picture.
Johan Botha, who has been handed the reins with injured skipper Smith having returned home, also talked to the team about too many people with inputs on the field and asked for a better alignment of thoughts in the dressing room rather too much information on the field, leading to over rate concerns which marred South Africa in both Twenty20 matches against Australia. He though stated that the matters were sorted out and that there were no such issues as alleged by Ponting.
Ponting spoke with concern, and also perhaps with an attempt to derail the South Africans before the first one day international match, "It’s only natural that they won’t be as intense with their captain absent. He commands respect and is a strong leader. The difference in the field is visible with a new captain. It was particularly evident in Brisbane the other night when there were about four or five captains by the end and everybody had something to say. However, it’s their problem and we just observe it from afar. It’s not my job to give them advice."
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