Injured South Africa skipper Smith targets first Test return

Smith suffered a grade-two hamstring tear while on Indian Premier League duty last month.

He believes he is ahead of schedule in terms of his rehabilitation after arriving with the squad at Taunton to prepare for the three-day clash with Somerset starting on Sunday.

Stretching a point: South Africa skipper Graeme Smith

Smith will not play in that game and is targeting the match with Middlesex at Uxbridge next weekend for his comeback if all goes to plan.

But, even if he is not ready for that fixture, he believes time spent in the nets will be enough for him to be ready to face Michael Vaughan's side.

Smith said: 'The goal is to play at Uxbridge. I think I am a lot further down the line than what I expected to be. The physio is very happy with me at the moment.

'I am working at the moment with him and am in his hands still. I would love to think I will be fit for Uxbridge and that is what I am working towards.

'I'm confident but with this injury, this is the first time I've had it so there is always that degree of uncertainty in your head of knowing whether you are going to be 100 per cent or not.

'At the moment I am confident how things are going but we will keep working on it step by step and see what happens.'

Smith added: 'Do I have to play at Uxbridge to play in the Test? I would love to play at Uxbridge and getting time out in the middle is important.

'But if I have to put the time in the nets before the first Test, then I will do that.'

Smith admitted South Africa will be aiming to get the upper hand over Kevin Pietersen in the forthcoming Test and one-day series.

South Africa-born Pietersen will be playing a Test series against the Proteas for the first time.

He will skipper England in the final game of the NatWest Series with New Zealand on Saturday after Paul Collingwood received a four-match ban for the slow over rate against New Zealand at The Oval.

Smith said: 'We view Kevin Pietersen as a key batter in the England line-up - and that is how we are going to look at things going into the Test series.

'If we can negate him as a batter in this series, and make life very difficult for him in terms of being a batsman, then we feel that can play a big part in controlling England's batting.

'That is a challenge for him and a challenge for us and that is how we view the series with Kevin.'