CricDigs Blogs

Just like India is benefiting immensely from the presence of a young, aggressive and wise captain in the form of MS Dhoni, South Africa too are reaping the benefits of a leader who can actually make a difference and is doing so at this very moment. His selection as the Protea’s skipper was a bit controversial and came at a difficult time with Pollock just having ended a rather dull run as a captain. At that time, most people and experts had commented that the team just had no good captaincy material to groom or count upon and Smith was just an experiment that most thought would fail miserably. Well, it seems that the man in question has proven nearly everyone wrong. Not only has he cemented his place in the side as a very dependable opening batsman, he is now amongst the best captains in contemporary cricket.

The man is seldom perturbed on the field when marshalling his resources and his imposing physical presence comes in combination with a very relaxed and thoughtful approach. His team has enjoyed a very successful tenure in both the test matches and one-dayers. He has dealt with every issue that looked like fragmenting the team. The question of racist selection and the quota system for selecting coloured players has plagued the team for some time now but Smith never got himself messy with the controversy. He again faced a difficult time when the team’s middle order lost the big-hitting, and Smith’s personal favourite, Justin Kemp to the ICL. Even then, he maintained his calm and never bad-mouthed Kemp’s decision.

At that time, Pollock’s role as an all-rounder too was being questioned but Smith believed in the experience and maturity that Pollock brought to the dressing room. He backed the likes of DeVilliers — more of a batting wicket-keeper back then to stake a claim for the middle order and his confidence eventually paid off. Just look at DeVilliers now. He has been among the team’s best batsmen this season and played a significant role in securing a win during SA’s historic chase at the Perth test match against the Aussies but DeVilliers would confess himself that the win was set up by Smith’s courageous century.

Cricket in South Africa is till trying to deal with disruptive issues like that of racism and the lack of experience in the team. However, when it comes to delivering on the day that matters they can be assured that they have one man who knows how to get the best out of his men — Graeme Smith.
(someone who was ridiculed as a ‘white’ and unjust selection at one point)