Graeme Smith: The born leader who made South Africa believe

Making over 17,000 international runs, and a prevalent leader for the Proteas for a bulk of his career, Graeme Smith has been enshrined in the ICC Hall of Fame.

Originally brought in as a supporting act to the reliable pairing of Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs, Graeme Smith soon made a name for himself as a tall, imposing opener with a propensity to take the challenge head-on.

And only a year into international cricket, Smith was given the ultimate test by South Africa’s selectors, being handed over the captaincy reins in the aftermath of a heartbreaking home ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup campaign in 2003.

At 22, when most international cricketers are vying for a place in the XI, Smith was tasked with lifting South Africa’s fortunes after the loss of big-name players like Allan Donald, Jonty Rhodes and Daryll Cullinan.

True to his nature, Smith took the challenge head-on, etching a new chapter in South Africa’s cricketing history, transforming the perennially ‘nearly there’ Proteas into a force that achieved new landmarks.

His captaincy exploits were matched by his batting brilliance, and the left-hander ended with the most wins as a Test captain (53) while also finishing with 17,236 runs in international cricket.

Impressive rise and early learnings

Debuting against a formidable Australian Test side led by Steve Waugh, Smith fell early in his first batting outing to the great Glenn McGrath. However, not to be deterred, Smith hit a sublime 68 in the second innings, showcasing that he had the goods to make it at the highest level.

A string of impressive ODI and Test performances followed, including a double ton in just his third Test against Bangladesh.

After the captaincy challenge was hurled at Smith in 2003, making him the youngest-ever South African to lead the Men’s side, the left-handed opener took to the task of reversing South Africa’s downturns with a fervour. The batter smashed back-to-back double hundreds (277 and 259) against England in just his 11th and 12th Tests in the same year.

Despite individual success, which saw Smith being included in the ICC Men’s Test Team of the Year in 2005, he faced mixed results as a skipper.

While the side continued to shine in ODI cricket, especially at home, beating the likes of Australia, Pakistan, India and England, ICC trophy success eluded the side. On the Test front, they struggled away in Asia and Australia, and also had to contend with series losses to England and Australia.

Turning the tide as a leader

Despite all the success at home, including series wins against India and Pakistan in 2006/07, South Africa had not regained their Test potency of the late 90s.

While Smith’s team shone bright at the 2007 Cricket World Cup and the inaugural ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which they also hosted, the Proteas ultimately flattered to deceive.

However, it was towards the end of this year that South Africa got a second wind under Smith.

Souring the farewell of Inzamam-ul-Haq, the Proteas showed great determination in Pakistan to win both the Test and ODI series towards the end of 2007, with Smith leading the way with 474 runs across the white and red-ball contests.

A historical landmark was achieved early in the following year when Smith partnered with Neil McKenzie in an opening stand of 415 against Bangladesh, thus breaking Vinoo Mankad and Pankaj Roy’s 1956 feat to become the highest-ever batting partnership for the first wicket in Tests.

South Africa won easily in Bangladesh, before holding a strong Indian lineup for a 1-1 series draw in India. Early promise turned for the better as South Africa won a Test series in England for the first time since their readmission to cricket, with Smith leading the way with a series-winning performance in Birmingham, with his 154* sealing a chase of 281.

The Proteas’ grit and courage were, however, best in show Down Under, when they handed Australia their first-ever home Test series defeat since the 1992/93. Smith marshalled the troops with aplomb while also smashing a match-winning hundred at the WACA and scoring fighting twin 50s in Melbourne.

His resolve for a fight was best displayed in the dead rubber in Sydney, when despite a broken arm, the batter walked out to face Mitchell Johnson in full flight. This was South Africa’s maiden Test series win in Australia.

Smith had a year to remember, finding a place in the ICC Men’s Test Team of the Year and scoring 1656 runs in 2008, the fourth-most by any Men’s player in a calendar year.

A legacy to remember

From 2007 until the end of Smith’s tenure, South Africa did not lose a Test series away from home, including repeat series wins in England and Australia, the former of which got them to the No.1 rank as a Test side in 2012. Smith continued notching up the big runs, especially in the Test arena, wherein he averaged close to 45 in the final five years of his career. His output in limited overs remained consistent too, with a feisty 141 in a losing cause against England at the ICC Champions Trophy 2009 being his career best.

Under Smith, South Africa regained the sharp edge, reminiscent of the earlier Proteas sides, while also managing historical feats.

And in March 2014, having already given up the ODI leadership in 2011, at the age of just 33, Smith retired from international cricket after a home series against Australia.

8659 of his 9265 runs in Tests came when he captained, about 2000 more than the next best Allan Border. And with 6989 ODI runs and 982 T20I runs, Smith also left his mark on the Proteas limited-overs outfit.

Yet Smith’s legacy would go beyond his impressive numbers..

Under Smith, the Proteas not only reclaimed their identity as a competitive group but also became known as a side that could excel across conditions and walk the talk.