England v South Africa: history tells us that Andrew Strauss's men may have already lost this Test series He has looked determined and calm at the crease from the minute he walked out to bat on Friday. He realised he had to set a foundation. He played carefully for his first 50 taking 160 balls but then found his big stride and his second 50 took only 41 balls. He basically climbed into England once he realised the opportunity was there to get a big one. Over the years his batting has changed very little. He has this big, intimidating presence at the crease. You just know that he is out there looking to score. My basic principle to strong on side players is to try and take the ball away but to Smith it is different. The trigonometry of his batting means he brings the bat down across the ball with a closed face. He is vulnerable to miss the ball swinging into him which is what happened for Hoggard in 2004-05. James Anderson just wasn't able to do it enough with the new ball. You also have to realise the onfield needs protecting. If you do that then even if he plays his best shot and it goes to the boundary he will only get a single because there is a man defending that area. Also make sure midwicket is straight. It cuts down the easy opportunity of hitting straighter between midwicket and mid-on. His options are cut down and, because he rarely scores on the offside, the only option is square through midwicket. But when he is established at the crease and the ball is not swinging all you can do is hang it outside off stump and try to force him into a false shot or keep him nice and quiet. I like watching him bat. His record tells you that the power of the mind; the ability to stare at the ball and hit it, is better than having a perfect technique. Give me a strong mind, and powers of concentration grouped with an orthodox technique every time over a strong, classical batsman with a weak temperament. Smith revels in the pressure and the challenge of leading from the front. We did not get on at first in 2003. But in 2008 we had a good series and we became good mates. I built up a great admiration and respect for the way he has lead the team. And also the manner in which he has done it. Put simply he leads with great individual performances and that has lead to respect from team-mates and opponents. You can see it in the way South Africa are so determined to win here and go to No 1. Gary Kirsten, the coach, and Paddy Upton, the mental conditioning coach, are driven people who took India to the top (and look how they have struggled since they left). South Africa are a solid unit with a determined togetherness. Individuals help each other. Before play yesterday every single bowler had a long batting net, hammering home the basics of a team ethic because they know tail-end runs could tip the balance of the match. It has added up to three days of absorbing Test cricket. My only concern is the way they have prepared this pitch. It is slow with nothing in it for the seamers or bounce for the spinner. This is as dry as a bone with no carry. I just hope England are not asking for slow, low wickets.