🎂🏏 Happy Birthday, Graeme Smith 🏏🎂
The ICC Cricket World Cup has just ended on home ground. However, in the tournament held on home ground, the Proteas' dream of winning the World Cup fell on deaf ears at the group stage. Cricket South Africa took over the captaincy from all-rounder Shaun Pollock shortly after the home team lost the tournament.
The 22-year-old elongated left-hander, who replaced Jonty Rhodes, who was ruled out of the World Cup due to injury, was driving along Constantia Neck, a famous mountain road in Cape Town. At that time, his mobile phone rang. Gerald Majola, head of the South African Cricket Board, asked over the phone
" Now, you'll have to lead ... "
The left-handed opening batsman, who took over the captaincy at the age of only 22 years and 72 days, initially found Bangladesh as a weak opponent, but his opponent off the field is quite strong. Controversial former captain Hansie Cronje's fixing scandal, choking in when facing pressure in a big tournament, etc.
Then there was the England tour. As soon as the Proteas set foot on British soil, the brilliant British captain, Nasser Hussein, sneered at the opposing captain in front of the press and said something in a tone of disregard.
" What’s his name ... ? "
At the start of the tour, cricket fans were enthralled by the once-British captain, Hussein,'s sarcastic remarks about the Proteas captain, whose team was bowled out for just 107 runs in the final of the one-day series.
Anyway, this time the Test series started in Birmingham. When the Proteas returned to the dressing room at the end of the first day of the first Test, their captain was unbeaten on 178. When the Proteas captain finally stopped, he scored 277 runs next to his name on the scoreboard.
Later, at the Lord's Cricket Ground, when the African Lions defeated the English for their captain's 259-run innings at home, not only the English captain Hussein but the entire cricket world knew the name of the so-called anonymous Proteas captain.
The name later became one of the best captains of all time in the history of world Test cricket. 🎂🏏 Happy Birthday, Graeme Smith 🏏🎂
It was eye-pleasing to see him batting 😇. One of the smartest batting stances among left-handed batters.