Graeme Smith

[Bazza]

Yes but Pollock gets 'carted' for 5 an over, whereas Blignaut gets carted for 15 in over.

 

[Mr. P]

why Graeme Smith is captain is beyond me. They should have given the captaincy to Kallis or Boucher or Kluesner! Anyone! Someone who can keep their mouth shut.

 

[marc71178]

I notice Smith was all confident before the series, but by the time it came to the Final, he was saying how England were always going to be favourites.

Methinks he underestimated us just a little.

 

[Mr. P]

Methinks he underestimated us just a little.

Methinks hes an oaf and shouldnt be captain anyway.

 

[Bazza]

Methinks South Africa are going to struggle for a year under his guidance, then unceremoniously sack and drop him.

 

[luckyeddie]

It strikes me that Graeme Smith had read up on captaincy, about motivational techniques, putting pressure on the opposition, man management and diplomacy.

Unfurtunately, the book he was reading has a typo - it said 'Do' instead of 'Don't'.

Seriously, he is trying to find his feet a year or two too early for my liking and is making some massive errors of judgement. If he learns from them, fine. If he doesn't - well, SA will be looking for a new captain after this series.

Personally, I think that the 'Lance Klusener Memorial Breakfast' speech was the most stupid thing he's done ('scars' notwithstanding), although subsequent events (Lance threatening legal action for unfair dismissal) has mitigated it somewhat.

If he'd have just come out with 'Lance shouldn't play because he's a nut' then later events might have vindicated such a statement.

Perhaps it was what could be perceived as a personal vendetta which forced Klusener into saying what he did. We may hear more later.

 

[Langeveldt]

Bring back Zulu!

Seriously though, apart from Pollock who has obviously been ditched by the UCBSA, who can be captain????


Kirsten - Great but too old, retired from ODI's too

Gibbs - Psychopath, awesome batsman but too scatterbrain to be captain

Rudolph - to young and inexperienced (my future choice tho)

Van Jaarsveld - not an automatic selection

Kallis - has too much to think about with leading the attack batting and bowling...

Klusener - why isnt he playing for a start?

Dippenaar, McKenzie - not automatic selections, bit naive maybe

Boucher - Too timid and withdrawn to be a captain i think..

Boje - Out for ages with broken leg, again not automatic choice

Nel,Ntini - Not a great thinker anyway... Stereotypical fast bowlers mentality..


So there you have it, Smith is and always was the only likely contender :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

 

[Langeveldt]

he was saying how England were always going to be favourites.

Er......Unless its against Australia, you just dont hear that kind of stuff from a South African captain

 

[luckyeddie]

Klusener was the only other logical choice, then (other than Pollock continuing).

Hey, Graeme Smith is cleverer than I thought. Ensure that your only logical rival is ostracised, then you've got a few years of certain selection.

 

[marc71178]

Er......Unless its against Australia, you just dont hear that kind of stuff from a South African captain

Smith said it last Friday on Ceefax.

 

[Craig]

I think Smith has the ability to be a very good player over a long time. I doubt whether Kallis or Klusener have the "cricket brain" to be captain per se, it is hard to word it correctly.

Klusener's international career is probably over unless Smith is not captain. Smith has plenty of captaincy experience at age group level.

 

[luckyeddie]

Klusener's international career is probably over unless Smith is not captain. Smith has plenty of captaincy experience at age group level.

They obviously didn't teach diplomacy at his school of captaincy.

It's not a very good start (I don't mean the defeats) - in my view he is a laughing-stock at the moment. Let's hope for his sake he learns quickly.

 

[Craig]

Do you believe captains have to be diplomatic. I hope he learns quickly. England will be the greatest challenge so far.

 

[luckyeddie]

Do you believe captains have to be diplomatic.

I think it's absolutely essential - part of the job.

Primarily, you are a representative of your sport - and secondarily a representative of your country.

It's something even Steve Waugh has learned (although he sometimes forgets it). Anything less is disrespectful.

Why do you think the phrase 'It's not cricket' was invented to convey skullduggery? Our game is still THE epitome of sport - and sportsmanship (or at least I'd like to think so).

 

[Craig]

I hope you are not refering cricket as a gentlemen's game. Because that went down the gurgler ages ago.

 

[luckyeddie]

I hope you are not refering cricket as a gentlemen's game. Because that went down the gurgler ages ago.

Not at all - but it's not a game for mindless oafs either (certainly not as captain - and Graeme Smith is clearly not an oaf).

Actually, it was never a 'gentleman's game' - cricket has a long and, er, chequered history. The only people who deluded themselves that it was were the administrators of the game - and WG's skullduggery set them straight on that.

Graeme Smith's not stepped over any lines or anything, don't get me wrong, and I'm not blaming him for attempting to gee-up his side and score mind-points over the opposition - it's just that he didn't do it very well and looked rather silly.

 

[Neil Pickup]

Did anyone notice Smith's declaration against Somerset came just about the right amount of time to have a shower and get changed after he got out?

 

[luckyeddie]

It was hot and he'd played a fine innings.

Did he get chance for one of those wonderful ice-creams?

 

[Langeveldt]

He is certainly a passionate guy, ill give him that... I have never seen anyone so vocal and geeing his bowlers up to the max, and it appeared to work on Zondeki, he was bowling rapidly today...

 

[Anna]

I didn't see that cos of the damned rain Oh well........there's always tomorrow.