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Graeme Smith

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For other people named Graeme Smith, see Graeme Smith (disambiguation).
Graeme Smith
Personal information
Full name
Graeme Craig Smith
NicknameBiff
BattingLeft-handed
BowlingRight arm off-spin
RoleBatsman
International information
National side
Test debut (cap 286)March 8 2002 v Australia
Last TestApril 11 2008 v India
ODI debut (cap 68)March 30 2002 v Australia
Last ODIMarch 14 2008 v Bangladesh
ODI shirt no.15
Domestic team information
YearsTeam
1990/2000Gauteng
2000/01-2003/04Western Province
2004/05-2006/07Cape Cobras
2005Somerset
Career statistics
Competition Tests FC ODIs LA
Matches 66 101 133 185
Runs scored 5392 8221 5016 7178
Batting average 48.57 49.52 41.11 42.72
100s/50s 14/22 22/31 7/36 11/54
Top score 277 311 134* 134*
Balls bowled 1319 1687 1026 1968
Wickets 8 11 18 47
Bowling average 100.12 95.27 52.83 38.21
5 wickets in innings 0 0 0 0
10 wickets in match 0 0 n/a n/a
Best bowling 2/145 2/145 3/30 3/30
Catches/stumpings 83/- 133/- 71/- 98/-
Source: CricketArchive, April 13 2008

Graeme Craig Smith (born 1 February 1981 in Johannesburg) is a cricketer who is currently captain of the South African cricket team, taking over from Shaun Pollock after the 2003 Cricket World Cup. He is a tall and strongly built left handed opening batsman, standing at 6'3 and weighing 15 stone. He is usually very leg-side orientated at the crease. He is also an occasional off spin bowler.[1]

Early Years

Smith grew up in Houghton, Johannesburg and was a prolific run scorer in school cricket at the King Edward School in Johannesburg. He played 3 'tests', [2] and 7 one dayers for South Africa Under-19's.[3] He was unsuccessful in the test matches managing only one fifty, but he managed 5 half centuries in the shorter form which gave him an average of 84.

He made his Test debut for South Africa in 2002 in Cape Town against Australia, batting at number three. The second innings of the match saw him score his first half-century.[4]

Career Highlights

He showed his talent in the tour of England in 2003 when he made double centuries in consecutive test matches: a national record of 277,[5] at Edgbaston,[6] and 259 at Lord's.[7] His score of 259 at Lord's is the highest score at the ground by a foreign player.[8] The previous record was 254 by Sir Donald Bradman. These performances prompted Alec Stewart to call him "the most impressive 22-year-old I have seen in cricket".[9] He joined English county Somerset as captain for part of the 2005 season and scored a century in their victory over tourists Australia.[10] Against Leicestershire at Taunton he smashed his maiden first class triple hundred with 311 off just 255 balls, [11] which included 11 sixes. He also hit 105 in the Twenty20 Cup match against Northamptonshire County Cricket Club,[12] which is currently the 11th highest score in the domestic Twenty20 Cup competition. Smith also captained the team to victory on finals day to secure the trophy.[13]

Despite receiving much criticism when he was initially chosen to captain South Africa as at that time Smith was only 22 years and 82 days old when he captained his first match against Bangladesh national cricket team and in the process become South Africa national cricket team youngest ever captain.[14]

He had played only 8 test matches and 22 ODI before being given the captaincy. .[15] Smith has matured into a capable Test and ODI captain. His growth in the role was evidenced when he was selected to captain the ICC World XI in the ICC Super Series Test Match between the ICC World XI and Australia in October 2005..[16]

South Africa's tour of Australia, and Australia's subsequent return tour in the 2005/06 season were disappointments for Smith, as they succumbed to a 2-0 defeat in Australia,[17]

then a 3-0 whitewash at home.[18]

Racial abuse of players in Perth, and media inflammation of comments between Smith and his Australian counterpart Ricky Ponting overshadowed much of the tour.

Pride was salvaged when Smith led from the front in South Africa's famous win over Australia in an One Day International at Wanderers Stadium, Johannesburg, on March 12, 2006. Australia set South Africa a world record 434-4 from 50 overs, which was eclipsed by South Africa who achieved 438-9 with a ball to spare. ).[19]

The match still holds a multitude of records, most significantly the highest successful run chase in a One-Day International. [20]

Smith played a vital role in setting up the victory, scoring 90 runs off only 55 balls and was involved in a second wicket partnership of 187 runs with Herschelle Gibbs. [21]

He has also had success in partnership with Gibbs in Test cricket, sharing stands of over 300 with him three times.[22][23][24]

They are the only pair in Test cricket to have done this. On January 3 2007 against India at Cape Town, Smith brought up his 4000th Test run. [25]

He is the second youngest player in Test history to reach the milestone at 25 years and 336 days behind Sachin Tendulkar (24 years and 224 days).[26]

In the 1st ODI against Pakistan on the 4th of February, Smith hit an over of Naved-ul-Hasan for 27 runs and became the first player in ODI history to hit 6 fours off an over.[27] As captain he led the South African cricket team to 20 consecutive undefeated matches in One Day Internationals in 2005.[28]In early 2007 Smith's South Africans replaced Australia on top of the official ICC rankings for ODI cricket [29]but returned to second place after mixed results in the 2007 ICC World Cup thus far after losing to Australia by 8 wickets. In the 2007 World Cup he started the tournament with 4 successive 50's, a feat never before achieved by a captain.[30]

During the 2nd Test against Bangladesh at Chittagong in begun on February 29 2008 Smith and Neil McKenzie put on a world record 415 for the first wicket..[31]

It beat the previous record of 413 which had been set in 1956 and Smith also became the first South Africian player in history to be involved in four separate 200 run opening partnerships in Tests.[32]

They had finished day one with 405 runs on the board which was the most ever put on by a pair in a single day of Test cricket without losing a wicket.[33]

Personality and Controversies

Smith was once accused by West Indies all-rounder Dwayne Bravo of racial abuse, but was cleared of those allegations.[34] He has however, been punished several times by the International Cricket Council for various infringements, mostly for dissent and slow over rates.[35][36][37]

He has a difficult relationship with Australian players. This is based on Smith's predilection for words rather than deeds, with repeated calls for South African aggression resulting in lacklustre team results, and dismal personal performances. He also has a difficult relationship with South African born English batsman Kevin Pietersen. Smith considers Pietersen a traitor for abandoning his native country, while Pietersen describes Smith as an "absolute muppet" in his book Crossing the Boundary.[38] Pietersen is a staunch critic of South Africa's racial quota selection policy, citing it as the reason he left South Africa as a young cricketer.[39]

Smith has also fallen out with the current England captain Michael Vaughan during the 2004-05 England tour of South Africa over a dispute concerning bad light during the 4th test in Smith's native Johannesburg. In Vaughan's 2nd book Calling the Shots Vaughan refers to Smith as "the witness".Vaughan lost his entire match fee for the match after the dispute.[40]

Test Centuries

Graeme Smith's Test Centuries
Runs Match Against City/Country Venue Year
[1] 200 3 Bangladesh East London, South Africa Buffalo Park 2002
[2] 151 8 Pakistan Cape Town, South Africa Sahara Park Newlands 2003
[3] 277 11 England Birmingham, England Edgbaston 2003
[4] 259 12 England London, England Lord's 2003
[5] 132 18 West Indies Johannesburg, South Africa Old Wanderers 2003
[6] 139 21 West Indies Centurion, South Africa SuperSport Park 2004
[7] 125* 24 New Zealand Wellington, New Zealand Basin Reserve 2004
[8] 121 34 Zimbabwe Cape Town, South Africa Sahara Park Newlands 2005
[9] 148 37 West Indies Port of Spain, Trinidad & Tobago Queen's Park Oval 2005
[10] 104 38 West Indies Bridgetown, Barbados Kensington Oval 2005
[11] 126 39 West Indies St John's, Antigua and Barbuda Antigua Recreation Ground 2005
[12] 133 56 Pakistan Lahore, Pakistan Gaddafi Stadium 2007
[13] 147 61 West Indies Durban, South Africa Sahara Stadium Kingsmead 2008
[14] 232 63 Bangladesh Chittagong, Bangladesh Chittagong Divisional Stadium 2008
An innings-by-innings breakdown of Smith's Test match batting career, showing runs scored (red bars) and the average of the last ten innings (blue line).

One Day International Centuries

Graeme Smith's One Day International Centuries
Runs Match Against City/Country Venue Year
[1] 105 59 England Port Elizabeth, South Africa Sahara Oval St George's 2005
[2] 115* 61 England East London, South Africa Buffalo Park 2005
[3] 117 65 Zimbabwe Durban, South Africa Sahara Stadium Kingsmead 2005
[4] 103 66 West Indies Kingston, Jamaica Sabina Park 2005
[5] 134* 77 India Kolkata, India Eden Gardens 2005
[6] 119* 87 Australia Centurion, South Africa SuperSport Park 2006
[7] 103* 131 Bangladesh Chittagong, Bangladesh Chittagong Divisional Stadium 2008

References

  1. ^ [http:content-uk.cricinfo.com/southafrica/content/player/47270. "profile of Graeme Smith"]. Cricinfo. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Unknown parameter |date accessed= ignored (help)
  2. ^ "Youth Test Matches played by Graeme Smith". Cricket archive. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |date accessed= ignored (help)
  3. ^ "Youth ODI Matches played by Graeme Smith". Cricket archive. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |date accessed= ignored (help)
  4. ^ "Scorecard". Cricket archive. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |date accessed= ignored (help)
  5. ^ "Individual Scores of 200 and More in an Innings for South Africa in Test Cricket". Cricket archive. 2003-24-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  6. ^ "Scorecard". Cricket archive. 2003-24-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ "Scorecard". Cricket archive. 2003-24-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ "Lord's, London - Test matches". Cricinfo. 2003-24-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ "Vaughan applauds England effort". BBC Sport. 2003-09-09. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ "Scorecard". Cricket Archive. 2005-15-06. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ "Scorecard". Cricket Archive. 2005-08-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ "Scorecard". Cricket Archive. 2005-02-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  13. ^ "Scorecard". Cricket Archive. 2005-30-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ "Graeme Smith will become South Africas youngest captain". Cricinfo. 2003-17-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  15. ^ "Biography: Graeme Craig Smith". Cricinfo. 2003-16-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  16. ^ "Scorecard". Cricket archive. 2005-14-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ "Australia v South Africa - Test matches". Cricinfo. 2005-14-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ "Australia v South Africa - Test matches". Cricinfo. 2005-14-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ "South Africa win the greatest match of all". Cricinfo. 2007-01-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ [http:stats.cricinfo.com/ci/content/records/93518.html "Highest innings totals batting second"]. Cricinfo. 2007-01-03. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ "South Africa win the greatest match of all". Cricinfo. 2007-01-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ "Scorecard. Example one of 300 plus stand". Cricinfo. 2007-01-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  23. ^ "Scorecard. Example two of 300 plus stand". Cricinfo. 2007-01-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ "Scorecard. Example three of 300 plus stand". Cricinfo. 2007-01-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ "Scorecard". Cricket archive. 2008-11-08. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ "Tendulkar and Smith share the spotlight". Cricinfo. 2007-01-03. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ "Most Runs in an Over". Cricinfo. -. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ "Most consecutive matches without defeat". Cricinfo. -. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  29. ^ [http:content-uk.cricinfo.com/southafrica/content/story/281932.html "South Africa handed one-day trophy"]. Cricinfo. -. {{cite web}}: Check |url= value (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  30. ^ "Full length, full reward". Cricinfo. 2007-03-28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  31. ^ "Highest partnership for the first wicket". Cricinfo. 2008-14-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  32. ^ "Record opening stand lifts South Africa". Cricinfo. 2008-14-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  33. ^ "South Africa's batsmen continue merry-making in Chittagong". Cricinfo. 2008-02-29. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  34. ^ "Hinds fined, but Smith in the clear". Cricinfo. 2005-05-05. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  35. ^ "South Africa fined for slow over-rate". Cricinfo. 2007-04-07. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  36. ^ "Smith fined for dissent". Cricinfo. 2006-03-19. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  37. ^ "Smith banned for four matches". Cricinfo. 2005-05-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  38. ^ "Graeme Smith slams Pietersen". Cricinfo. 2006-09-02. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  39. ^ "Quota heart-break for Pietersen". BBC Sport. 2006-08-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  40. ^ "Vaughan fined his full match fee". Cricinfo. 2005-01-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
Preceded by South African Test cricket captain
2003 - 2005/6 		Succeeded by
Preceded by South African Test cricket captain
2006/7 - present 		Succeeded by
incumbent
Preceded by South African ODI cricket captain
2003 - present 		Succeeded by
incumbent
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