Ever since the retirement of Sri Lanka's Arjuna Ranatunga, a man who made Napoleon look like a doubt-plagued ditherer, the cricket world has been crying out for a captain to love to hate. But the evidence is mounting that Graeme Smith, the South African wunderkind, appears to be cultivating enemies at a strike-rate that even Ranatunga at his most Machiavellian might have struggled to match. And while Ranatunga used to attract venom for his overly generous embonpoint ("You don't get a runner for being an overweight, unfit, fat c*nt," as Ian Healy once pointed out to him), it is Smith's attitude that seems to be rankling.
Australia, of course, have never forgiven him for telling tales about their sledging after his Test debut in March 2002. And in his autobiography Michael Vaughan recalls how Smith kept calling him "queer" during last winter's series. Vaughan even claims to have discerned misgivings among South Africa's senior players about the then 24-year-old Smith's "power freak" approach to captaincy.
Now the Spin should point out at this stage that it has never found Smith anything other than personable, but then it has never upset him by scoring a Test century at the Wanderers [Nor is it likely to - Ed]. And a couple of incidents over the weekend suggest that Smith is increasingly not the flavour of the month. First came a stinging indictment in a Sunday Times interview with Kevin Pietersen, whose defection to England did not impress Smith. "I didn't speak to him," he said of his recent trip to Australia, where Smith captained the ICC World XI in the Super Test. "I don't waste my breath speaking to him." And if that left anyone in any doubt, Pietersen added: "It's a waste of my breath even opening my mouth to say hello to the bloke."
Then there was a strange moment in the fifth ODI against New Zealand at Centurion, when Stephen Fleming, Smith's old nemesis, took a slip catch to dismiss AB de Villiers. Fleming stood motionless for a second, then ran in a strange circle to the bowler via short extra cover, whooping like a banshee. A couple of glances in Smith's direction at the non-striker's end betrayed his intention: he was taking the mick. Vaughan notes how after every wicket during the South Africa tour Smith was "the one celebrating most". And Fleming, about to go 4-0 down in the series, had clearly had enough. The Spin suspects that what really riles opposition captains is that Smith is an old head on young shoulders. But, hey, while he continues to rub people up the wrong way, the Spin will not be complaining.
Sign me up for the bandwagon.
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