Mike Stopforth

When considering all the the captains of all of South Africa’s professional sporting codes since readmission, none have received as much flack and endured as much pressure from fans, fellow players and media alike than Graeme Smith, and yet despite all that produced such excellent results.

Yes, read that sentence again if you need to.

I have been a fan of Smith since he became our national captain at the ridiculous age of 22. I’m not sure why I felt an unusual affinity toward the guy from day one other than the fact that we’re about the same age (I’m a little older, which a perpetually frightening thought). Quite frankly, he lacks the enviably natural flair of a Ponting, Tendulkar or even de Villiers. He’s not Jonty in the field, though he has a pretty darn reliable set of buckets. And let’s just say his gentle right-arm offies leave a little to be desired

He’s a little controversial, typically outspoken and downright cocky sometimes. He’s made the odd enemy, the odd sensational news headline and despite all that stuff you simply can’t deny that the fact show that he was, and remains, the right choice to lead South Africa’s national team into a new generation of world-class cricket.

If you’re still (or ever have been) an anti-Smith advocate, consider the following:

• Graeme took over the reins of a side still bleeding heavily after the painful blows of the Hansie saga and the disappointment of the 2003 World Cup campaign at only 22 (ask what you were doing at age 22), and is still captain of the team despite regular changes in the coaching and management staff. The unlikely pairing of Smith and Arthur (who I must be honest I never expected to last as long as he has, let alone do as well as he has – credit to the man) seems to be paying dividends.
• He boasts a test batting overage of 48.51 at a strike rate of 61.77 (significantly) and already has 14 centuries under his belt. He was the second youngest player ever, after Tendulkar (who debuted almost 4 years younger than Smith), to notch up 5000 test runs.
• Graeme has already played 133 ODI’s, most of them as captain and facing the new ball, averaging 41.11 at a very healthy strike rate of 81.80 – and already has 5000 runs under his belt in this format of the game. Not only this, but at the time of writing this post Smith was top of the ODI batting rankings, above Mssr’s Ponting, Dhoni, Tendulkar, Hayden and Pietersen – and by a significant margin to boot.
• Graeme time and time again produces (and this is not fact, just the recollection of an avid SA cricket fan) a ‘captains innings’ in high-pressure situations. We all remember the Gibbs contribution to the 438 victory but seems to forget that Smithers blasted a healthy 90 off only 55 deliveries in the same innings. And he does it more often than not – it’s almost as if Smith’s form correlates directly proportionately to the amount of pressure he’s under. That speaks to character, any way you look at it. ENough to have already been named Wisden Cricketer of the Year in 2004.
• South Africa, at the time of writing this post, find themselves at the top of the ODI world rankings and 3rd in the test rankings. If we beat India or draw in the final test, due to start on Friday, we will overtake them to occupy 2nd place. 1st and 2nd. Consider where we’ve come from and that this team is not even firing on all cylinders yet. There are good things to come.

Sure, you could still fault Graeme for not leading us to a World Cup win, but I don’t think anyone can argue that we lost to a better team in the semis and that we wouldn’t be feeling so much damn pressure (not to mention exerting it on our players) if not for the fact that we’ve been dealt a fair few blows of bad luck in World Cups in the past. We’re the All Blacks of cricket, when it comes to big tournaments. Just ask Ricky McCaw what that feels like.

So whether you love him or hate him, you simply can’t deny that the facts show unequivocally that this guy, who simply cannot help but wearhis heart in all it’s patriotic pride right out there on his sleeve, is doing some great things for SA cricket. And I think the least we can do as ‘fans’ is rally behind the chap. At 27, he could realistically have another 7-10 years leading our team. If he continues on his current trajectory, the maths show that SA will soon dominate this game like Australia have for too damn long (ok it’s time for the rest of us to have some fun now dudes).

So go Smithy – I’ve got your back mate.

Note: All stats correct at the time this post was published according to www.cricinfo.com

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