< 1 minute read It was nearly a fitting send-off for Graeme Smith from a team hewn in his image (and ‘hewn’ is the only appropriate word to use). This South Africa side are dogged, resilient, they bat for ages and they’re prone to fourth innings performances that defy received wisdom. Fortunately for Australia,
Continue readingTag: Graeme Smith
Graeme Smith’s not had the best series
< 1 minute read We wrote this title in the hope that we’d have some really funny thoughts to share once we started staring at the great expanse of whiteness where the body of the article’s supposed to go. Nothing happened, so we checked Twitter and apparently Graeme Smith’s going to retire. Let this
Continue readingWas Graeme Smith overprepared?
< 1 minute read We assume this was why he was just dismissed for 15 in the first Test against Pakistan. Last week, in the only warm-up match for this series, Smith made two against Pakistan A. The innings before that was for Surrey in May. You might think he’d have wanted a bit
Continue readingEnduring South African flawlessness with the bat
< 1 minute read We’re not a fan of batting. Fours and sixes elicit an approving nod of the head, but they don’t move us in the same way as wickets. This has perhaps been compounded by a period of Test cricket that lasted until recently in which huge scores became the norm. That
Continue readingMark Boucher and Graeme Smith – South Africa’s foulweather batsmen
< 1 minute read The ball has swung in this match. There has been seam movement, some bounce and good turn. On top of that, South Africa need to win this game. Mark Boucher and Graeme Smith have been the standout batsmen. This is not surprising. Most players play worse in these situations. A
Continue readingLoots Bosman and Graeme Smith should play on ‘hard’ now
< 1 minute read Loots Bosman and Graeme Smith today batted in international cricket as if they were playing an overfamiliar cricket computer game on easy setting. Simply aim at cow corner and press the six-hit button. It was astonishingly clean hitting. Almost robotic. Alastair Cook erred hugely in not positioning a fielder on
Continue readingGraeme Smith does his things
< 1 minute read Graeme Smith’s things are hitting the bulk of the runs in a fourth innings chase and winning Test series. There were no miracles from Australia’s bowlers, because the bowlers who could perform them are gone. South Africa chased down 183 for the loss of one wicket, won the match, won
Continue readingAB de Villiers follows Graeme Smith
2 minute read South Africa could never have chased down 414 without a hundred from Graeme Smith. After he was out for 108, they couldn’t have won without a hundred from AB de Villiers. What’s really impressed us about this South African win is not that they chased down such a huge total
Continue readingCan Pietersen affix England’s balls to the magic wall long-term?
< 1 minute read Before this match Graeme Smith said that Kevin Pietersen might be successful in the short-term via the ‘balls to the wall approach’, so that’s what must have happened today. But before half of you try and apply this colourful philosophy to your everyday lives, Graeme Smith also had a warning.
Continue readingWe don’t hate Graeme Smith
2 minute read While we’re coming clean about these things, we might as well ‘fess up on this one as well. South Africa are probably the least popular Test team other than England (sorry people, but we have a richly questionable history as a nation, largely at the expense of other cricketing countries).
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