It's time for all of us to deliver: Smith

Jaipur, Nov 1 (UNI) South African skipper Graeme Smith today defended his underperforming top-order ahead of the Champions Trophy semi-final clash against the West Indies and said batting upfront has been very difficult throughout the tournament.

''I am not really worried about our top-order failing to fire.

Top-order batsmen of most of the teams have not performed up to the mark,'' Smith told reporters ahead of the semifinal here tomorrow.

''Batting upfront has been really tough and challenging in this event. Having said that if get a good start, it would be a huge bonus for us.'' He said adapting to the conditions would be the key on a wicket that was two-paced and had uneven bounce.

''The wicket looks dry and their are cracks in it. It is not like Mohali with sideways movement but it seems to be two-paced. Harder ball is going to be tough to negotiate on this wicket,'' Smith observed.

''The key here is to adapt to the conditions and that's what we have really done well,'' he said.

The South African skipper was wary of the legendary West Indian unpredicatbility and admitted that the Islanders would be tough opponents given the number of match winners in their fold.

''You can't take any team for granted. Unpredictability and inconsistency has been their problem but it could turn out to be a huge bonus for them as well,'' said Smith.

''West Indians have many match winners in their team. (Brian) Lara, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Chris Gayle, (Dwayne) Bravo, they are all capable of changing the face of the game on their own. And they have beaten even Australia earlier in the tournament.'' ''But we have to focus on our own game and make sure the plan we have for tomorrow is right. We should be thoroughly prepared,'' he said.

He said his team held an edge over the Caribbeaners on the field and saving 20-30 runs and taking catches would be crucial in the match tomorrow.

''We have been working very hard in the field and Jonty (Rhodes) has brought in new dynamics in the department. His experience has brought in maturity among the players. I think fielding is going to be the key tomorrow,'' he said.

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