Potchefstroom (South Africa), Feb. 20 : Australian cricket team coach Tim Nielsen is bristling at suggestions from antagonistic South Africa wicketkeeper Mark Boucher that the tourists are too timid with "loopholes" in their squad.

Boucher told The Star newspaper: "There''s always hype about when South Africa meet Australia in a series, lots will be said beforehand. In the past, they''ve been fond of talking big before a series. They did it again before the last one in Australia. "It will be interesting to see how they go about that sort of thing before this series. They have a few loopholes in their squad, there''s no doubt about that. You only have to look at their side to see that."

"I''m certainly not saying it''s timid. It''s more difficult when you are not holding the mantle of being the team that has just won the last series we''ve played. That''s something we''ve got to get used to. South Africa have just won the series in Australia. It''s more a perception of Australia being cocksure over a long period of time. The fact that we have won a lot of series and won a lot of cricket games that people see us as being that way. And now you''re telling us that we''re maybe not as cocksure as we should be, but inside the group we are very confident. We feel as though we''ve got a good group ready to play good Test match cricket," the Sydney Morning Herald quoted Neilsen, as saying. (ANI)