Graeme Smith Profile

Graeme Smith Profile

Meaty, muscular and mighty, that's Graeme Smith, who looms even larger than all that as South Africa's colossus of a captain. His achievements as a batsman are significant, but the most important monument to his career is the fact that under Smith, the confidence of South Africans, both within and outside of the national team and its structures, has been rebuilt. 

Smith's leadership and his batting are all about being direct and upfront. The subtleties of captaincy have grown into his game, but he is still at his most comfortable surging once more unto the breach himself with a cursory backward glance to see if his men are following.

His batting is similarly forthright: anything bowled near his pads will be sent screaming through midwicket. Anything drivable on the off-side will be driven, brutally, often inelegantly, but always effectively. Square of jaw and shoulder, they don't call him "Biff" for nothing. With Smith, what you see really is what you get.

Smith can hardly be blamed for doing things his own way. He was, after all, handed the reins at 22 - which made him his country's youngest captain - and tasked with rebuilding South Africans' faith in the integrity of game itself. That precious jewel had been shattered by Hansie Cronje's immoral greed and it was not restored completely under Shaun Pollock's sincere but undemonstrative leadership.

If Pollock was too maturely minded a captain for South African sensibilities, Smith was spot on: an overgrown schoolyard bully of the nicest possible type who would just as soon take a (verbal) swing at an opponent as buy him a beer. After the game, of course.

The double centuries Smith scored in his 11th and 12th Tests, and just his third and fourth as captain, in England in 2003 made for an ironclad argument to retain his overtly direct approach to getting the job done. Those were his early days in charge, but arguably his greatest triumph came much later, when he led South Africa to their first Test series victory in Australia, in 2008-09. All that remains now is to get his hands on a chunk of ICC silverware, a prize that has eluded South Africa since 1998. 

 

Full name Graeme Craig Smith

Born February 1, 1981, Johannesburg, Transvaal 

Current age 29 years 294 days

Major teams South Africa, Africa XI, Cape Cobras, Gauteng, Hampshire Cricket Board, ICC World XI, Rajasthan Royals, Somerset, Western Province

Playing role Opening batsman

Batting style Left-hand bat

Bowling style Right-arm offbreak

Batting and fielding averages

 

	Mat	Inns	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	BF	SR	100	50	4s	6s	Ct	St
Tests	87	153	9	7304	277	50.72	12169	60.02	22	28	930	22	115	0
ODIs	160	158	10	5941	141	40.14	7139	83.21	8	42	693	38	84	0
T20Is	31	31	2	958	89*	33.03	742	129.11	0	5	122	25	18	0
First-class	125	217	14	10491	311	51.67			31	38			170	0
List A	217	213	15	8167	141	41.24			12	61			113	0
Twenty20	75	75	6	2216	105	32.11	1768	125.33	1	11	274	48	34	0

 

Bowling averages

	Mat	Inns	Balls	Runs	Wkts	BBI	BBM	Ave	Econ	SR	4w	5w	10
Tests	87	33	1322	805	8	2/145	2/145	100.62	3.65	165.2	0	0	0
ODIs	160	43	1026	951	18	3/30	3/30	52.83	5.56	57.0	0	0	0
T20Is	31	3	24	57	0	-	-	-	14.25	-	0	0	0
First-class	125		1690	1052	11	2/145		95.63	3.73	153.6		0	0
List A	217		1968	1796	47	3/30	3/30	38.21	5.47	41.8	0	0	0
Twenty20	75	7	96	148	4	3/23	3/23	37.00	9.25	24.0	0	0	0

Career statistics

 
Test debut     South Africa v Australia at Cape Town, Mar 8-12, 2002 

Last Test     Pakistan v South Africa at Dubai, Nov 12-16, 2010 

ODI debut     South Africa v Australia at Bloemfontein, Mar 30, 2002 

Last ODI     Pakistan v South Africa at Dubai, Nov 8, 2010

T20I debut     South Africa v New Zealand at Johannesburg, Oct 21, 2005 

Last T20I     Pakistan v South Africa at Abu Dhabi, Oct 27, 2010 

First-class debut     1999/00
Last First-class     Pakistan v South Africa at Dubai, Nov 12-16, 2010 

List A debut     1999/00
Last List A     Pakistan v South Africa at Dubai, Nov 8, 2010

Twenty20 debut     Western Province Boland v Dolphins at Cape Town, Apr 7, 2004 

Last Twenty20     Pakistan v South Africa at Abu Dhabi, Oct 27, 2010