Smith says Proteas 'happy' to be regarded as 'favourites' for first Test against Oz

South African captain Graeme Smith has said that he and his teammates are happy to be regarded as 'favourites' for the first Test against Australia at the Centurion Park on Wednesday.

South Africa has not been beaten in a series since Australia defeated them in their own ground in 2008/09 and has built up a formidable record to open a sizeable gap at the top of the ICC Test rankings.

According to Sport24, Smith said that being the number one Test team in the world, South Africa deserves to be the favourites, adding that they have become accustomed to and comfortable with the tag as they have been on top for a long time and has also travelled to some tough places to defend their position.

Stating that he is confident that South Africa has the batting to counter an Australian pace attack spearheaded by left-arm fast bowler Mitchell Johnson, Smith also said that the performances their players have shown around the world gives them the stability and the platform to win Test matches.

Smith also said South Africa had no injury concerns, with batsmen AB de Villiers and JP Duminy both ready to play, adding that they have a lot of options available, whether they want to go with an extra batsman, an all-rounder or a bowler.

Australia's choice seems likely to be between Alex Doolan, Shaun Marsh and Phillip Hughes to fill two batting places, the report added.