Cricket: Smith defends decision to send NZ in

South Africa captain Graeme Smith this morning defended his decision to send New Zealand in to bat, saying he believed his team had bowled well enough in the first session to take a decisive advantage.

The Black Caps ended the first day of the second test at Newlands on 265 for 6, with skipper Stephen Fleming still at the crease on 114 not out.

But Smith said his only regret was that batsmen were allowed to score too freely in the second and third sessions.

He said: "Their strike-rate of 3.3 to 3.4 an over was a bit more than we would have liked. We'd have preferred to have kept them under three.

"But six down I'm pretty happy with. Once the ball gets old here the pitch plays pretty flat and it slows up a bit - the carry diminishes.

"Yes, it's turning a little but we always expect it to turn a bit here. It's usually slow turn, and we've simply backed ourselves to deal with it on day four or five."

He reckoned New Zealand were heading towards what could be considered a fair total in the circumstances.

"I think about 300's a par score if you're batting first. I think the pitch will only get better for the second innings, it'll do a bit on most mornings but once you get through that there's a lot of runs to be scored. So we'll be looking for a big total."

Meanwhile, off-spinner Jeetan Patel said this morning that the feeling in the New Zealand camp was that the pitch could only turn more as the match progressed.

"I don't think it's a belter, but I think the second and third day will be best for batting and after that it might prove more difficult and offer more to the spinners," he said.

"It's not crumbling yet, but another day in the sun with guys running up and down, you'd expect it might start to go."

He said he couldn't wait to get his first taste of test action, which will almost certainly start tonight NZ time when he is called on as a batsman.

"I've still got the anxiety and nerves running through me," he said. "I haven't been out on the park yet but I'm very excited to be playing my first test - it's a great opportunity for me."