Graeme Smith: News

When Hanse Cronje was caught for match-fixing, South Africa needed to find someone to resuscitate the lost trust. When the captaincy was thrust into his hands in 2001, Graeme Smith was only 22 years old. Tall, aggressive, strong, well-built, and known to hit the leather off the ball, Smith's personality, batting, and captaincy were alike. When Smith was made captain, he only had eight Tests and 22 ODIs under his belt and was the youngest ever captain in South African history. He made his presence felt in the 2003 tour to England, where he scored two consecutive double-centuries, including a 259 that still is the highest score by a foreigner at Lord's. A left-hander by trade, Smith was known for scoring quick runs. The most successful captain in Tests, Smith's success in Tests can be understood by an interesting fact. He made three English captains retire in successive tours. South Africa under Smith never lost an away series since 2006. Smith stepped down from ODI captaincy after the 2011 World Cup. In 2014, he retired from international cricket.