Graeme Smith Profile by CricketArchive

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Player:

GC Smith

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DateLine: 20th February 2007

 

As batsman and captain Graeme Smith has carved out a niche all his own. His aggressive left handed batting at the top of the order has won him many fans for his power-packed strokes carry a lot of punch, he can be pugnacious when the situation arises and he has maintained a consistency that has seen him average almost 50 after nearly 50 Tests. In ODIs he can give the ball a healthy whack giving the kind of dream start that any side wishes for. In addition his occasional off spinners can be pretty tricky to handle on a responsive surface. With all these qualities it is perhaps as a leader that Smith has garnered most newspaper space. At the age of 22 he took over from Shaun Pollock in the wake of a disastrous 2003 World Cup campaign. It seemed almost a desperate move especially since Smith had hardly any leadership credentials and just a few Tests and ODIs under his belt. But displaying aggressive and imaginative leadership qualities Smith led South Africa to a shared Test series in England in 2003. He seemed to revel in his new responsibilities for he started with back-to-back double centuries – a national record 277 at Edgbaston and a match winning 259 at Lord’s. Since then his batting and captaincy has had to endure both ups and downs but he remains an engaging figure, one of the leading personalities in the game and a batsman and a leader to be respected and even feared. It was typical of Smith that when confronted by Australia’s record total of 434 at Johannesburg in 2006 he slammed 90 off 55 balls to help set up the greatest victory in an ODI. He followed it up with a come from behind test series win against India and Pakistan. But to lose in the semifinals of the World Cup to their old nemesis Australia didn't help matters. He was there in the forefront of another come from behind series win against West Indies at home. He followed it up with a series leveler in India and the then went on to represent the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL which went on to win the tournament. He as a captain played a series winning innings of 154 to win the third test and the series, and be the first captain to win a series in England post Apartheid era.