Cricket: Test Cricket

hoegh said:
hansie was a great captain and watching the proteas under him was awesome, I think he got punished far to severly for what he did, but I suppose he betrayed the trust of a sport mad nation and it could only go that way.

smith is rapidly moving up the list of great captains and at 27 he may very well finish at the top of the pile as a great captain and one of SA's best batsman.
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100% agree, I had so much respect for Hansie as a captain, i lost a lot of if but he was still undoubtedly a great captain. Not the greatest batsman in the world but good enough along with his captaincy

Smith is a much better batsman and his captaincy & respect he has gained will push him above Hansie
 
i just read a few articles on the web about our gutsy captain and i somehow feel as if we won the last test :) i dont have a sore feeeling for losing....it so great to have a leader like smith ...it really goes beyond cricket and shows the rest of the world what we south africans are made off! he didnt just earn our respect but the respect of the entire cricketing world !
 
quote from Ian Chappel

Ian Chappell: 'Smith wins Syndey hearts'

January 7, 2009




An injured elbow and a broken left hand weren't enough to deter Graeme Smith from batting © AFP




What an amazing finish to what has been a fantastically competitive series between South Africa and Australia.

Graeme Smith walked out onto the SCG; he got a standing ovation from the crowd and it is an ovation that will be remembered for many years to come because of his bravery. He came out trying to save the game for his team after an incredible stand between Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini that extended the game well in to the last 15 overs. Smith thought it was worth the risk. In the end, he was clean bowled by Mitchell Johnson - the man who broke his finger - and Australia went on to win the game. But it was Smith who won the hearts of the Sydney crowd
 
javs said:
i just read a few articles on the web about our gutsy captain and i somehow feel as if we won the last test :) i dont have a sore feeeling for losing....it so great to have a leader like smith ...it really goes beyond cricket and shows the rest of the world what we south africans are made off! he didnt just earn our respect but the respect of the entire cricketing world !
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i feel the same way, apparantly the crowd roared when he walked out and that is awesome, and it makes you proud to be a South African. And what makes it better IMO, as much as we dispise the aussies its great playing them when it goes down to the wire like this cause they can also appreciate what has been done and it was played in the true spirit of the game
 
javs said:
Ian Chappell: 'Smith wins Syndey hearts'

January 7, 2009




An injured elbow and a broken left hand weren't enough to deter Graeme Smith from batting © AFP




What an amazing finish to what has been a fantastically competitive series between South Africa and Australia.

Graeme Smith walked out onto the SCG; he got a standing ovation from the crowd and it is an ovation that will be remembered for many years to come because of his bravery. He came out trying to save the game for his team after an incredible stand between Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini that extended the game well in to the last 15 overs. Smith thought it was worth the risk. In the end, he was clean bowled by Mitchell Johnson - the man who broke his finger - and Australia went on to win the game. But it was Smith who won the hearts of the Sydney crowd
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got goosebumps reading this... :)
 
hoegh said:
i feel the same way, apparantly the crowd roared when he walked out and that is awesome
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They did, it was stirring stuff!!! Brought a lump to the throat and a tear to the eye. Very proud moment for SA... Well done to Smith, what character he has shown?!!!
 
sandmanm34 said:
got goosebumps reading this... :)
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sandmanm34 said:
They did, it was stirring stuff!!! Brought a lump to the throat and a tear to the eye. Very proud moment for SA... Well done to Smith, what character he has shown?!!!
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same here, its a feeling that you can't really explain

mercurial said:
So even though AUS won, we still shone brighter due to Smith.
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I wouldn't say that we shone brighter, Aus deserved to win and were better than us by a whisker in this game, but what Smith did just epitomised what it means to play for your country, fight till the very end!
 
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mercurial said:
So even though AUS won, we still shone brighter due to Smith.
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yes ! :D here's another quote : "The bravest man in world cricket"

thats from another article on the web referring to smith coming out to bat,
 
ah..what a series..well done for holding down the fort boys..freaking umpires cost us the match..but we win anyways...goosebumps, lumpy throats and teary eyes all over..:o
 
Was out there today. Noticed Smith had gone inside when Ntini came in and knew he was going to come out if needed. The Aussies get Steyn and start celebrating, then out comes Smith and the whole crowd rises as one to applaud the man. He just has this ability to unify opposing groups. He is by far the greatest captain at present and the greatest SA captain ever. These days saffers are being treated with respect in Aus, and its a great time to be both Aussie and South African.

Comparisons with Cronje. Firstly Hansie wouldn't make the current standards if picked purely as an all-rounder based on his averages. Secondly Hansie was a ball follower who waited for things to happen. Thirdly, Hansie, and to a greater extent Pollock who followed did damage to the transformation process by not managing it well. They had their cliques. From first hand info at a restaurant celebrating a player's b'day after the 2001/2 SCG game, there was only non-white players in attendance (along with team manager Majiet), and I was told by one that the team under Pollock was divided along those lines, same as with Hansie...it wasn't what it appeared to be.

With Smith, along with Arthur, he has put faith in players and the players actually perform and get together as a team...and now they do perform.
Smith leads from the front. He has the most runs of any batsman ever in 4th innings successful run chases, with 4 centuries amongst that. Something not even Tendulkar, Ponting and Lara can match.
He gets players out based on weaknesses. They have worked out Hussey and Hayden, and in Melbourne Hayden was caught in a set play and Ponting at 99 with Smith himself catching but another 4 fielders in that immediate 20m circle. He does not wait for things and with McKenzie captaining you could see how Australia scored freely.

He has it made for life...a true leader who will do well after cricket.

cheers
 
OzzieCapie said:
Was out there today. Noticed Smith had gone inside when Ntini came in and knew he was going to come out if needed. The Aussies get Steyn and start celebrating, then out comes Smith and the whole crowd rises as one to applaud the man. He just has this ability to unify opposing groups. He is by far the greatest captain at present and the greatest SA captain ever. These days saffers are being treated with respect in Aus, and its a great time to be both Aussie and South African.
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That's fantastic to read!!

Comparisons with Cronje. Firstly Hansie wouldn't make the current standards if picked purely as an all-rounder based on his averages.
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36 average in test and 38 average in ODI is hardly below par. He was very much a part time bowler but not inadequate.
Secondly Hansie was a ball follower who waited for things to happen.
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Not true. It's well documented that Hansie and Bob Woolmer meticulously went about analysing and accessing batsman, their weaknesses and strengths and how to get them out.
Thirdly, Hansie, and to a greater extent Pollock who followed did damage to the transformation process by not managing it well. They had their cliques. From first hand info at a restaurant celebrating a player's b'day after the 2001/2 SCG game, there was only non-white players in attendance (along with team manager Majiet), and I was told by one that the team under Pollock was divided along those lines, same as with Hansie...
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mmmm not sure you can be blaming Pollock and Hansie for damaging the transformation process when the only players of colour selected at the time were Ontong, Ntini and Gibbs(Ontong possibly not a justified selection either).

Whose birthday was it anyway? Cliques are a way of life... Must have been Ontongs Bday, 4th January, I wouldn't have celebrated it with him either...
 
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mercurial said:
You're kidding right?
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Nope why should we have settled for 2-0 when we could go for 3-0 and possibly land on 2-1? what is so bad about winning a series in aus by 2 games to 1?

Merc please enlighten me as to why 2-1 is worse than 2-0 considering we could have won it 3-0?
 
killadoob said:
Merc please enlighten me as to why 2-1 is worse than 2-0 considering we could have won it 3-0?
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1st Prize would be a 3-0 white wash but if we had won the series 2-0 we would have denied Oz the win in the 3rd test which we almost did, literally 10 balls away from a draw, that's epic. 2-1 is great and we'll take it but getting a draw out of this test match would have been very sweet indeed. Did you not see the hunger for the draw in the team/team dressing room? Tactically to save or draw a test match is a favourable result...
 
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