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Smith salutes senior players
27/11/2007 00:26 - (SA)
Jaco van der Merwe , Beeld
Durban - Graeme Smith says he owes his latest achievement as South African cricket captain to the support of the senior players in the Proteas squad.
Smith became only the second South African, and the 14th player in the world, to captain a team in 100 one-day internationals when he led his side to victory over New Zealand here on Sunday.
The late Hansie Cronjé captained South Africa in 138 ODIs.
"I'm a little surprised at reaching this milestone so soon," Smith said after the match.
"I thought my next big milestone would be fifty Test matches but suddenly I was ODI captain for the 100th time.
"I've been fortunate to have experienced players to assist me. Shaun Pollock, Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher, Herschelle Gibbs and Makhaya Ntini all played a role.
"People sometimes say such milestones mean you are getting on, but I'm still only 26," he added.
Some of the players were seasoned internationals when Smith became, at 22 years and 71 days, the youngest captain in ODI history, leading the Proteas against India in Dakka, Bangladesh, in April 2003.
He had taken over the reins from Pollock, who had captained the South Africans in 92 ODIs before being sacked after the World Cup tournament that year.
Highs and lows
Since then, three players have led ODI teams at an age younger than Smith - Rajin Saleh of Bangladesh (20 years and 297 days) and the Zimbabweans Tatenda Taibu (20 years and 342 days) and Prosper Utseya (21 years and 125 days.)
"If you look at the number of matches in which I have played, you'll realise how inexperienced I was when I became captain," Smith said.
"I have developed a lot since then and I'm proud of the way I progressed. I must now use this experience on the road ahead."
Smith acknowledged that there had been highs and lows along the route.
"If someone had offered me the option of a batting average of in the forties in Test and ODI cricket after I took over the captaincy at 22, I would have taken it.
"What excites me, is the way the team is developing. That is where I want to be. We have a whole new generation of players coming through."
The victory over New Zealand was Smith's 57th as ODI skipper, giving South Africa a 57% winning ratio under his captaincy.
Other players who have captained teams in more than 100 ODIs are Australia's Ricky Ponting, whose winning ratio stands at 81%, Steve Waugh (65.2) and Alan Border (61.4).
Pakistan's Wasim Akram and Windies captain Viv Richard led their teams to victory in 65% of their matches as captain and Cronjé reached 73.7%.
New Zealand's Stephen Fleming holds the record for most ODIs as captain. He led the Black Caps in 218 matches.
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