Arthur wants South African squad "to be as tough as nails" against England

Johannesburg, Nov 19(ANI): South Africa coach Mickey Arthur has said his team had started the series against England in a friendly manner, but it is time to raise the voltage.

Arthur also defended his stance on the basis that his side needed to ensure that they had a competitive edge going into the series.

"We want to be as tough as nails. We play within the rules, fair and square. I thought we played good hard cricket in England last year. There was a bit of niggle, but it was great," The Guardian quoted Arthur, as saying.

"We played tough hard cricket in India too and we took that into our series in Australia. It's not about talking to batters. It is a presence and our body language was excellent. I hate to see players abused and carrying on, it's nothing to do with that, it's about a presence and we had that," he added.

Arthur, who led South Africa to the top of the rankings in both Test and one-day cricket in 2008, said that it was the team's positive approach to the game that brought such success.

"We have learned from our mistakes in the past and we think we have found a way to put a little bit of pressure on. I think it's part of the hurly- burly of international cricket. It's a hard game, mentally. The players have to be able to handle that. Perhaps it is a little bit psychological," Arthur said.

"We know who we want to target in the England side. We won't make that public but we have analysed them in depth. Any cricketer is vulnerable to that type of pressure. We have seen Australians vulnerable. As much as they say they don't read the papers, believe me they know exactly what's being said," he added. (ANI)