Cricket: 'Wotsisname' Smith hits doubters for six

By RICHARD BOOCK

The international career of Graeme Smith is starting to read like one of those fairy tales where the young hero not only triumphs against overwhelming odds, but also manages to foil a handbag thief with an impeccably-weighted lofted drive.

It is the story of a young man thrown headlong into the confusion of South African cricket, who manages to make some sense of the madness and lead his side on a rip-roaring adventure, complete with epic battles and great escapes.

He has been the Huckleberry Finn of world cricket, the rebel who is not burdened by the politics of previous teams and administrations, has brushed off the hands from the past and cut a new trail for his side.

Smith's remarkable success has flown in the face of a host of doubters, including his father who thought he was too young, and former national coach Bob Woolmer, who remained loyal to discarded skipper Shaun Pollock.

The 22-year-old argued at the time that he had always dreamed of leading South Africa, thought he could do the job, and was prepared to sacrifice the last years of his youth in order to grab the opportunity.

Smith, described last year by South African great Barry Richards as "the oldest 22-year-old I've ever met", has helped to develop one of the closest-knit South Africa squads for decades, and the camaraderie has already been noticeable in New Zealand.

His determination as junior cricketer was evident as an 11-year-old, when he was struck in the face while batting, the impact leaving his tongue dangling by a thread and needing to be stapled together.

Throughout his high school years he was identified as a star on the rise, and it was not long until he was knocking on the door for national honours, eventually receiving his opportunity against Australia in the summer of 2001-2002.

But if he was well known in South Africa, the English were happy to mock his anonymity on the world scene last year, although it's doubtful that many opponents will be keen to copy the ruse.

It was on that tour that England captain Nasser Hussain referred to his rival as "wotsisname" and introduced him to the first test match referee as "Greg Smith", in an apparent attempt to question his credentials. The South African captain responded with 277 in a weather-affected draw, and then slammed 259 at Lord's as the tourists triumphed by an innings.

His impact on the early stanzas in the series was astonishing.

English writer Christopher Martin-Jenkins was so taken with his exploits that he elevated Smith alongside today's greatest players, and an automatic selection for any World XI that might be considered.

"Such has been the imposition of Smith's character on his team and opponents that if the World selectors were planning a team to play Mars, he would already be first in line to take over from Steve Waugh as captain."

And as if to demonstrate that there was no lasting damage after the tongue injury, Smith has been a breath of fresh air in his media and speaking duties, to the extent that he almost caused an uproar before the tour to England.

Speaking at a business luncheon before the team departed, and only days after the controversial axing of Lance Klusener, Smith told his audience that the player was dropped for his damaging influence on the team, rather than any form problems.

The subsequent story that appeared on the front page of the Cape Times reported him as saying: "Lance as a team man can only cause hassles and we want to move forward in South African cricket.

"To be honest, Lance, as fantastic as he is, can sometimes ruin a team. His ability as a cricketer is really good but his ability as a team man isn't.

"He can kind of infect the team and bring down the youth."

Woolmer, who was later addressing a benefit dinner audience, said Smith had no right to criticise someone whose track record for South Africa was so impressive, and added that he'd earlier pleaded with him not to accept the captaincy.

Smith responded by calling Woolmer's bluff, saying he had never had the conversation that the former national coach claimed, and that there had been no pleading for him to turn down the captaincy.

Woolmer later clarified the matter, saying he had attempted to phone Smith but could only reach his answer machine and had not spoken to him about the matter: "But if I had spoken to him I would have pleaded with him not to accept the captaincy".

Smith said this week that the past year had been dramatic and that he was looking forward to a break at the end of the New Zealand tour so he could reflect on the good times and what he had learned from the experience.

"Aside from the initial teething problems between Shaun and myself - he is trying to fit into his new role, and me into mine - it has been a pretty smooth ride with the guys," he said.

"Their influence on the team and myself is very important. The senior players all play a big role in the squad. If you try to push them aside you're making a big mistake as a captain because they're the culture of your team. It's important to have them behind you."