Australia still deserve enough respect, says Arthur

South Africa may have made Australia bite the dust during their recent tour Down Under but the success have not made them complacent, insists Proteas coach Mickey Arthur, who feels the world champions will be revved up for the Test series starting in Johannesburg on Thursday

South Africa may have made Australia bite the dust during their recent tour Down Under but the success have not made them complacent, insists Proteas coach Mickey Arthur, who feels the world champions will be revved up for the Test series starting in Johannesburg on Thursday.

"There is certainly no complacency in our camp and there never will be. We have learned the hard way. You have to keep on respecting the game and you have to keep on respecting your opponents," Arthur said.

Ricky Ponting's men suffered a 2-1 defeat against the Proteas in the Test series, which almost stripped them of their number one tag in Test ranking. But Arthur insisted that Australia which has a good fusion of youth and experience deserves enough respect and going to be a tough opponent to overcome.

"In Australia we see opponents who are going to demand a lot of respect. They have some very good senior players and they have some youngsters as well who are trying to make an impression," Arthur said.

"They also have the chance to put the record straight after our win in Australia. Normally you have to wait eighteen months to get another crack at the same opponents. They have a second bite at the cherry straight away and they are going to be really revved up to come here and win. There is absolutely no doubt about that."

Meanwhile, skipper Graeme Smith exuded confidence about capitalising on the home advantage.

"We have home ground advantage and will not throw away this. We know the Australians are looking for revenge but we are well prepared and will not allow any slacking whatsover," Smith said.u00a0

Besides the Test series, the teams will play two Twenty20 matches and a five-match ODI series over the next two months.

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