Ex-Proteas player says Oz to target Smith, De Villiers during Test series against SA

Former South African player Boeta Dippenaar said that a determined Australia will target South Africa's two most senior players, AB de Villiers and Graeme Smith, during the Test series in February 2014 and will hope to romp to another series-win.

Smith scored 234 in the second Test in the UAE against Pakistan and also added 68, 44 and 47 against India at home in December, while De Villiers was the man of the series against India, scoring 103 in the first Test at the Wanderers and a 74 in the second at Kingsmead.

Dippenaar stated that South Africa must be prepared to face Australia as the Tasman side will target Smith and De Villiers, adding that if they could unnerve them and dismiss them cheaply, it will have a significant psychological impact on the rest of the South African team.

According to Sport24, Dippenaar said that one of the main reasons for Australia's lop-sided Ashes-win was that they targeted rival captain Alistair Cook, who, he added, was like a captain with a broken wing, and it had an enormous psychological impact on the rest of the team.

Stating that England was complacent when the series started, Dippenaar further said that in contrast, Australia was extremely determined and very well prepared and unnerved England with a verbal barrage, adding that due to the psychological impact, England could not turn it around.

However, Dippenaar also said that South Africa will want to target two of their main batsmen, Michael Clarke and David Warner.

Warner scored 124 in the first test at the Gabba and 112 in the third test at the WACA, while Clarke smashed 113 in the first test and 148 in the second at the Adelaide Oval, the report added.