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A Special feature by Karthik Narayan

Traditionally, South Africa has always excelled in cricket; it has come naturally to this nation and they have produced Greats in every aspect of the game: batsmen, fast bowlers, amazing fielders. Gary Kirsten, Allan Donald and Jonty Rhodes are only a few to name, there are so many others; Destined to get into that elite group, a new face was introduced, a young man by name Graeme Craig Smith.

Introduced to the world as an aggressive batsman who opened the innings, Smith soon found out that his role was going to be far greater. He lofted his career opportunities with a fifty on debut against the Australians at Cape Town in March 2002. After failing in the first innings, he played the Aussie bowlers very well. Even with Hayden peppering him with some hot words and Warne spelling disaster for South Africa, he hung in there and made a battling 68 off 147 balls. That meant that he going to go a long way.
 

Later when Bangladesh toured South Africa in 2003, at East London in the First Test, Smith tasted twin success – his first test hundred converted into a double ton. He just joined an exclusive band of people who made their first ton into a double ton. That was also the first time he opened the innings for South Africa, so that was another significant event that day at East London. His test knocks have been patchy, his big knocks rally amongst some good starts strewn away. His next century, the second of his 7 hundreds thus far also came within his country – in the second test of the series at Cape Town versus Pakistan.

By the time he was in his ninth test match, he had been appointed captain of South Africa at 22. Indeed a great honour for any player to lead his side. Shaun Pollock, the outgoing captain, surely hadn’t done well, and the team had come a cropper at home in the World Cup 2003. Very dismal performances forced Pollock to go down, and the selectors chose Smith to be skipper, and he did make history as the youngest ever at 22 to lead the South African team!

His first test as skipper came about in the Chittagong test against Bangladesh in 2003 where the South Africans ran riot. Jacques Rudolph and the Boeta Dippenaar had tyrannized and terrorized the Bangladeshis at home. South Africa ran away with all the honours, no surprises. And Smith’s captaincy shot up a few notches. Wins in his first two series and a whitewash of the Bangladesh team is not a great deal. But it does count in your tally of wins, doesn’t it?

His finest season came in his first season as captain – 2003. After creaming the Bangladeshis at home early on, this Transvaal born left hander took his side to the Home of Cricket – England. What followed was this: Runs, runs and more runs from Smith’s willow. After scoring his highest score and the highest Individual score for South Africa in tests of 277, (a marathon innings), he followed it in the same innings with a blazing 85 in the second innings of the same test. He took the English bowlers to task and sent them hollering all over the ground. That was for all the money in this world, one of the finest experiences as a spectator and all the couch potatoes at home munching popcorn! That run aggregate in a single test amounted to 362 runs, putting him in the tenth position of all time run scorers in a single test match the pack led by Graham Gooch with a triple century and century in the Lord’s test against India in 1990.

If any England bowler thought the onslaught was over and done with, sorry all English supporters out there! This Aquarian born 1st Feb 1981, just battered the debris of the bowlers whatever was left out, with another magnificent innings of 259 at Lord’s.  South Africa did not win that series, it was drawn 2-2 (5 tests in all), but the series wholly belonged to this Johannesburger’s prowess with the runs off his bat coming too good and too fast for the comfort of any England player. Luckily, some respite for the bowlers as Smith failed to mesmerize in the rest of the series after those twin double tons! In that year 2003, just his second year of international cricket, he had aggregated a mammoth 1198 runs with 4 centuries, two of them bigger than 200, at a super average of 63.05, all in just 12 tests! That speaks volumes of his astounding talents with the bat.

His major partner in rhyme (batting opening partner) for most part of his early life was the simple yet effective method player Gary Kirsten. Both of them have milked many a bowling attack and played them with caution mixed with aggression. They were a perfect blend of just that, Kirsten stole the runs slowly, while Smith simply made highway robbery at the helm! Later Gibbs did come along, but then he was far too skilled and aggressive that Kirsten had to come in at number three to steady the ship in cases of early wickets. Needless to say when Kirsten retired, Smith did miss a great partner more than anything else.

Smith’s ODI debut was against the Australians in the 4th ODI in 2001-02 at Bloemfontein. He played in his debut test itself as opener and made a quick 41 even as South Africa had to make 291 to win, they did not make it though in the end. In the next match, a day/ night affair, he made another decent score 46 before being caught behind by the keeper. His next two matches yielded 84 and 73 in the same series, both which South Africa won.

Some good scores followed, and so did some other not so good ones; but his meaty role in an ODI for South Africa did come later on as well. He made his highest score to date, a great 99 against Sri Lanka at Centurion in the second ODI of that series. He was most unfortunate to get run out on 99, that century would have been special, as he has never scored a hundred in the shorter form. That still remains his highest score, though he has looked many a time to overhaul that. He is another of those batsmen who get to good starts with the feet moving early. And yet fritter it all away to dust. Then the walk back to the dressing room is so long and quiet.

In the World Cup 2003 at home, he was not initially selected to play; thanks to an unfortunate Jonty Rhodes breaking his finger, (that prompted that great fielder to retire, very sadly this writer informs) Smiths’ world cup debut came into being. It was restricted to just 3 games even as South Africa struggled totally. He did not do all that badly making 23, 63 and 35 in those initial league games. After the world cup fiasco and Pollock ousting, Smith was the automatic choice for the captain’s slot for ODIs as well, and he has not made a bad start to that.

Smith is still young blood and since he came in early into the international cricketing arena, he sure is something to set sights on amassing runs by the thousands and plundering runs at will just for the sheer delight of the fans and his team itself. Cricketfundas.com wishes this elegant left hander all the very best in all forms of the game with both batting, captaincy, and even for the times when he rolls his arm over for some off breaks! Keep up the spirits, matey!

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