On Wednesday Proteas Cricket Captain Graeme Smith announced he is standing down as Captain of the Proteas in the Pro20 format with immediate effect, and will give up the ODI Captaincy at the end of the 2011 ICC World Cup in India.
Smith will remain as Captain of the South African Test Squad indefinitely, and still remains available for South Africa in all formats of the game.
Smith has had enough time away for the game to re-think his position and the direction of both the Proteas and himself.
“The off season has provided a great opportunity for me to reflect on our teams’ successful journey and set some challenging personal goals for the future” said Smith at the press conference.
“I am going into my ninth season of international cricket – eight of which have been as captain. It is my intention to play for another five or six years and I know in my heart that I can only do that if I give up some of my current responsibilities” continued Smith.
Smith stated that there are fellow players in the side who can make the step up to take over the leadership and groom a successor.
“I feel that making the announcement now will provide the time and development necessary to ensure a smooth transition. I remain passionate about the captaincy of the Proteas and after the World Cup I will continue to lead the Test team with pride and will continue to be available for selection in all formats of the game” said Smith.
The decision may also have been based on the fact that Smith is soon to launch his own leadership foundation.
“The purpose of the Graeme Smith Foundation is to share the skills which I have acquired through my cricket career to develop leadership programmes for young South Africans in order for them to have a wider impact in their communities” said Smith.
Is Smith acting in the best interests of the side or himself?
The fact he did not consult coach Corrie van Zyl prior to making his announcement makes me suspect the latter.
Smith said, “I only let some of my family and friends know at 05:00 (Wednesday morning) so that there weren’t any rumours. I also sent each of my teammates an SMS and I’m sure Corrie also got one.”
I believe as National Captain you owe your coach more than just an SMS. For van Zyl to hear the news in a press conference is disappointing behaviour from Smith.
The question now is how will Smith perform as a batter, and is he good enough to maintain his position?
After massive early success in his test career, with numerous double hundreds, I believe Smith has been found wanting. As a batter he has made little contribution, when it matters most outside of a handful of games in recent times.
The role in the “438 ODI,” the hundred to win the series against England and the strong start against Australia in 2008/9 stand out because the rest of his innings have been ordinary.
The opposition have worked out the limitations in Smith’s technique, and his vulnerability around the off stump line.
Can Smith reproduce the form of his early career?
Captaincy may relieve Smith of much of his responsibility, but he is clearly not in the same shape as he was when he was younger.
True leaders also thrive on Captaincy. It’s tough to now use the Captaincy as a burden given that Smith created too much power for a Captain, when a strong coaching authority such as Ray Jennings would’ve been able to help the side more. Smith wanted to do things his way, and in my opinion the side has under-performed during his reign.
I look forward to a more aggressive, forward-thinking captain in the limited over formats of the game, and hopefully it’ll bring South Africa success in an ICC tournament!
