Cricket Archive

Graeme Smith

Full name: Graeme Craig Smith

Born: 1st February 1981, Johannesburg, Transvaal, South Africa

Batting: Left-hand batsman
Bowling: Right-arm off-break

Teams: South Africa (Test: 2001/02-2007/08); ICC World XI (Test: 2005/06); South Africa (ODI: 2001/02-2007/08); African XI (ODI: 2005/06); South Africa (Int Twenty20: 2005/06-2007/08); Western Province (Main FC: 2000/01-2003/04); Western Province Boland (Main FC: 2004/05); Somerset (Main FC: 2005); Gauteng (Main ListA: 1999/00); Hampshire Cricket Board (Main ListA: 2000); Western Province (Main ListA: 2000/01-2003/04); Somerset (Main ListA: 2005); Cape Cobras (Main ListA: 2006/07); Western Province Boland (Main Twenty20: 2003/04); Somerset (Main Twenty20: 2005); Cape Cobras (Main Twenty20: 2007/08); All teams

South African Cricket Annual Cricketer of the Year: 2002, 2003
Wisden Cricketer of the Year: 2004

Somerset : 2005

Somerset Cap: 2005

Lists of matches and more detailed statistics
Articles: Bracken shows support for HIV/AIDS awareness

Rajasthan edge out Super Kings in a high scoring thriller

Knight Riders thrashed by Pathan blitzkrieg

Rajasthan make a Royal mess of Challengers

List of all articles

Pictures: South Africa's Graeme Smith plays a shot

South Africa batsman AB de Villiers and Graeme Smith in action aganist Bangladesh

Graeme Smith celebrates his fifty

List of all pictures

copyright © Action Images

As batsman and captain Graeme Smith has carved out a niche all his own. His aggressive left handed batting at the top of the order has won him many fans for his power-packed strokes carry a lot of punch, he can be pugnacious when the situation arises and he has maintained a consistency that has seen him average almost 50 after nearly 50 Tests. In ODIs he can give the ball a healthy whack giving the kind of dream start that any side wishes for. In addition his occasional off spinners can be pretty tricky to handle on a responsive surface. With all these qualities it is perhaps as a leader that Smith has garnered most newspaper space. At the age of 22 he took over from Shaun Pollock in the wake of a disastrous 2003 World Cup campaign. It seemed almost a desperate move especially since Smith had hardly any leadership credentials and just a few Tests and ODIs under his belt. But displaying aggressive and imaginative leadership qualities Smith led South Africa to a shared Test series in England in 2003. He seemed to revel in his new responsibilities for he started with back-to-back double centuries – a national record 277 at Edgbaston and a match winning 259 at Lord’s. Since then his batting and captaincy has had to endure both ups and downs but he remains an engaging figure, one of the leading personalities in the game and a batsman and a leader to be respected and even feared. It was typical of Smith that when confronted by Australia’s record total of 434 at Johannesburg in 2006 he slammed 90 off 55 balls to help set up the greatest victory in an ODI.
Profile DateLine: 20th February 2007

Test Career Batting and Fielding (2001/02-2007/08)
	M	I	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	100	50	SRate	Ct
South Africa	65	114	5	5380	277	49.35	14	22	61.45	80
ICC World XI	1	2	0	12	12	6.00	0	0	40.00	3
Overall	66	116	5	5392	277	48.57	14	22	61.38	83

Test Career Bowling (2002/03-2007/08)
	Balls	Mdns	Runs	Wkts	BB	Ave	5wI	10wM	SRate	Econ
South Africa	1319	28	801	8	2-145	100.12	0	0	164.87	3.64

First-Class Career Batting and Fielding (1999/00-2008)
	M	I	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	100	50	Ct
Overall	102	177	10	8256	311	49.43	22	31	137

First-Class Career Bowling (2000/01-2007/08)
	Balls	Mdns	Runs	Wkts	BB	Ave	5wI	10wM	SRate	Econ
Overall	1687	36	1048	11	2-145	95.27	0	0	153.36	3.72

One-Day International Career Batting and Fielding (2001/02-2007/08)
	M	I	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	100	50	SRate	Ct
South Africa	132	130	9	5016	134*	41.45	7	36	81.86	71
African XI	1	1	0	0	0	0.00	0	0	0.00	0
Overall	133	131	9	5016	134*	41.11	7	36	81.80	71

One-Day International Career Bowling (2001/02-2006/07)
	Balls	Mdns	Runs	Wkts	BB	Ave	4wI	5wI	SRate	Econ
South Africa	1026	0	951	18	3-30	52.83	0	0	57.00	5.56

One-Day Career Batting and Fielding (1999/00-2007/08)
	M	I	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	100	50	Ct
Overall	185	182	14	7178	134*	42.72	11	54	98

One-Day Career Bowling (2000/01-2006/07)
	Balls	Mdns	Runs	Wkts	BB	Ave	4wI	5wI	SRate	Econ
Overall	1968	2	1796	47	3-30	38.21	0	0	41.87	5.47

International Twenty20 Career Batting and Fielding (2005/06-2007/08)
	M	I	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	100	50	SRate	Ct
South Africa	12	12	2	364	89*	36.40	0	3	127.27	8

International Twenty20 Career Bowling (2005/06-2007/08)
	Balls	Mdns	Runs	Wkts	BB	Ave	4wI	5wI	SRate	Econ
South Africa	24	0	57	0	0-16					14.25

Twenty20 Career Batting and Fielding (2003/04-2007/08)
	M	I	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	100	50	SRate	Ct
Overall	38	38	5	1265	105	38.33	1	8	130.01	18

Twenty20 Career Bowling (2003/04-2007/08)
	Balls	Mdns	Runs	Wkts	BB	Ave	4wI	5wI	SRate	Econ
Overall	96	0	148	4	3-23	37.00	0	0	24.00	9.25

Youth Test Career Batting and Fielding (1998/99)
	M	I	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	100	50	Ct
South Africa Under-19s	3	5	0	91	73	18.20	0	1	1

Youth Test Career Bowling (1998/99)
	Balls	Mdns	Runs	Wkts	BB	Ave	5wI	10wM	SRate	Econ
South Africa Under-19s	6	0	4	1	1-4	4.00	0	0	6.00	4.00

Youth One-Day International Career Batting and Fielding (1998/99-1999/00)
	M	I	NO	Runs	HS	Ave	100	50	Ct
South Africa Under-19s	7	7	2	420	82*	84.00	0	5	3