Smith: 'It meant a lot to both of us'

Graeme Smith "A 300-run partnership is terrific and we strive to get big partnerships in the team. It was Herschelle and my third 300 partnership and it was a great feeling. We felt from 30 or 40 runs out we could do it and it meant a lot to both of us when we got there.

"I was not surprised when Brian won the toss and asked us to bat. I would also have batted. It is the greenest track I have ever seen at SuperSport Park. I thought it was a 280 to 300 pitch so am very pleased with the way it worked out. We are 300 for 1 but I don't think that the pitch is that good. Losing he toss might be a blessing in disguise as it did get a little up and down but I feel that we batted well. At times the bowlers got it in the right areas and Merv Dillon bowled very well, including a great spell to Herschelle when he was a touch fuller. If the rest had been a touch fuller, it might have been different.

"I was surprised that they started with Fidel Edwards, and thought that they would go for someone like Vasbert Drakes or Corry Collymore to open the innings and use Edwards as a strike bowler with the older ball. He bowled a few bad balls and that helped us get the momentum going.

"I have had a few starts this series and worked hard this week. I never felt that I was in today, I hit the ball well but was never at ease with the next ball. I am glad that the work I put in this week has paid off.

"The near run out was my fault, and when Sarwan did not throw I knew I was in with a chance. I had to get this big body on the move, he missed and I went on to a big score. On another day he would have hit and you are gone. You have to take the good with the bad.

"Today was special for me. The two hundreds in England were special, but this was different. I worked very hard and the challenge was good for the team and me. There is a lot of competition and hunger between the top six and hopefully it is a culture that is developing.

"The first session tomorrow is going to be very important. We have let ourselves down before when in a good position. We need to set up stall again in the morning and work from there and attack.

"If Herschelle and I had been batting then maybe we would not have taken the light, but with a new batsman and the ball flying we wanted to end in a good position and start again tomorrow.

"I was irritated when I got out. It was Herschelle and my goal to finish the day together and start again tomorrow with fresh legs. I felt that my feet moved the best that they have the whole series, but the ball that got me did swing. That was in the sixty-something over so there is still a lot in the pitch.

"We want to improve on what we did at Newlands and have worked towards that this week. The pitch has a lot more in it than what it had at Newlands and if we work at our plans and consistency we should have a chance."

Herschelle Gibbs "Dillon hit the right areas on the pitch, but I knew that with the rain and the grass on the pitch that there was going to be a bit of seam. The others did not really swing the ball while Dillon gave himself a good chance by hitting the areas. For me it was just a matter of survival.

"The pitch was fairly similar to the Wanderers on the first day, maybe a bit greener and slower - the longer you stay at the crease the easier it gets. On a pitch like this you don't get a lot of balls to put away. Its quite nice, I looked like a complete idiot today and he [Smith] is out. A few years ago I would have tried to keep up with him in the middle of the innings, but I am beyond that now. The longer I am at the crease the better it is for the team, and for me, it all comes with experience. In the end I caught up with him anyway.

"It is a great feat to score a hundred, but that is your job as a batsman, and I enjoy getting it but don't celebrate it as much as some of the others guys do. When I get back to the hotel room I will celebrate a bit. I am never satisfied with what I get and will work for more tomorrow. With the rain tonight there is still going to be a lot in the pitch and a big session for us."