Graeme Smith facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Graeme Smith

Smith on the field against Somerset in July 2012
Personal information
Full name	Graeme Craig Smith
Born	(1981-02-01) 1 February 1981 (age 44) Johannesburg, Transvaal Province, South Africa
Nickname	Biff
Height	6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Batting	Left-handed
Bowling	Right arm off break
Role	Opening batsman
International information
National side	South Africa (2002–2014)
Test debut (cap 288)	8 March 2002 v Australia
Last Test	1 March 2014 v Australia
ODI debut (cap 68)	30 March 2002 v Australia
Last ODI	27 November 2013 v Pakistan
ODI shirt no.	15
T20I debut (cap 12)	21 October 2005 v New Zealand
Last T20I	16 October 2011 v Australia
T20I shirt no.	15
Domestic team information
Years	Team
1999/2000	Gauteng
2000	Hampshire
2000/01–2003/04	Western Province
2004/05–2014	Cape Cobras
2005	Somerset
2008–2010	Rajasthan Royals
2011	Pune Warriors India
2013–2014	Surrey
Career statistics
Competition Test ODI T20I FC Matches 117 197 33 165 Runs scored 9,265 6,989 982 12,916 Batting average 48.25 37.98 31.67 48.73 100s/50s 27/38 10/47 0/5 37/51 Top score 277 141 89* 311 Balls bowled 1,418 1,026 24 1,786 Wickets 8 18 0 11 Bowling average 110.62 52.83 – 102.90 5 wickets in innings 0 0 – 0 10 wickets in match 0 0 – 0 Best bowling 2/145 3/30 – 2/145 Catches/stumpings 169/– 105/– 18/– 241/–
Source: ESPNcricinfo, 18 May 2014

Graeme Craig Smith (born 1 February 1981) is a famous South African cricket player. He played for South Africa in all types of cricket games. In 2003, when he was only 22, he became the captain of the national team. This made him South Africa's youngest ever captain.

Graeme Smith led his team to a record 54 Test victories. He is known as one of South Africa's greatest captains. He was also a tall, left-handed opening batsman. Many people think he is one of the best opening batsmen of all time.

He made huge scores in Test matches, including 277 and 259 runs. His 259 at Lord's Cricket Ground is still the highest score by a foreign player there. He also made 9,000 runs in Test cricket, a big achievement. Graeme Smith retired from international cricket in March 2014.

Early Life and Family

Graeme Smith was born and grew up in Johannesburg, South Africa. His parents, Graham and Janet, were from Scotland. He went to King Edward VII School.

Before playing for the senior team, Smith played for the South Africa under-19s. He played three Test matches and seven One Day Internationals (ODIs). He scored five half-centuries in the ODI games. In 2001–02, he was named one of the South African Cricketers of the Year.

In August 2011, Smith married Irish singer Morgan Deane. They had a daughter, Cadence Christine, in July 2012. Their son, Carter McMorrin, was born in July 2013. They later separated. In December 2016, Smith had another son with his girlfriend, Romy Lanfranchi. Smith is also a big fan of the football club Liverpool F.C..

Playing for Different Teams

Graeme Smith played for many cricket teams in South Africa. He played for the Cape Cobras but not very often because of his international games. He scored 1,312 runs for Western Province.

He also played for English teams. In 2005, he played for Somerset. He even captained the team for part of that year. He scored a triple hundred (311 runs) against Leicestershire. He also helped Somerset win the Twenty20 Cup trophy.

In 2008, Smith played in the first ever Indian Premier League (IPL). He played for the Rajasthan Royals. He formed a successful opening partnership with Swapnil Asnodkar. The IPL helped players from different countries become friends.

In 2012, Graeme Smith became the new captain of Surrey County Cricket Club in England. He started this role in the 2013 season.

International Cricket Journey

Smith started playing Test cricket for South Africa in 2002. His first game was against Australia in Cape Town. He scored 68 runs in his second innings.

In his third Test, he scored 200 runs against Bangladesh. He then opened the batting with Herschelle Gibbs. They made a huge partnership of 368 runs against Pakistan. This was a national record at the time.

Becoming Captain

After the 2003 Cricket World Cup, Smith was chosen as captain. He was only 22 years old, making him South Africa's youngest captain ever. Some people thought he was too young for the job.

In 2003, during a tour of England, Smith scored two double centuries in a row. He made 277 runs at Edgbaston. Then he scored 259 runs at Lord's. His 259 is still the highest score by a foreign player at Lord's. These amazing performances made many people praise him.

South Africa had some tough times in 2004. They lost series to New Zealand and Sri Lanka. But they still won a Test series against the West Indies. Smith and Gibbs had another 300-run opening partnership in that series.

In 2005, Smith was chosen to captain the ICC World XI team. This showed how much he had grown as a leader. South Africa also won a Test series in the West Indies that year. Smith scored centuries in three Tests in a row.

Big Wins and Records

One of Smith's most famous games was in March 2006. South Africa chased down a world record score of 434 runs against Australia. Smith scored 90 runs off just 55 balls in that game. This helped South Africa win the series.

In 2007, Smith became the first player in ODI history to hit six fours in one over. He did this against Pakistan. Under his captaincy, South Africa became the top-ranked ODI team. In the 2007 World Cup, he scored four half-centuries in a row. This was a first for a captain.

Smith in 2010.

In 2008, Smith and Neil McKenzie set a new world record. They made a 415-run partnership for the first wicket against Bangladesh. This was the most runs ever scored by an opening pair. It was Smith's fourth opening partnership over 300 runs.

Later in 2008, Smith led South Africa to a historic Test series win in Australia. This was the first time South Africa had won a Test series there. In one game, he even batted with a broken hand to try and save the match. He showed great courage.

In 2011, Smith stepped down as captain for ODI and Twenty20 games. He focused on Test cricket. In 2012, he led South Africa to another Test series victory in England. This made South Africa the top-ranked Test team again. Smith is known for causing three different England captains to retire after losing to his South African team.

In October 2019, he was made an honorary life member of the Marylebone Cricket Club. This was to celebrate his great achievements in cricket.

Leading the Team

Graeme Smith is the most successful Test captain in history. He has won 53 Test matches as captain. He is also the only player to captain a team in 100 Test matches.

After Playing Cricket

After retiring from playing, Graeme Smith became a cricket commentator. In December 2019, he was appointed as the director of cricket for South Africa national cricket team. He held this role until March 2022.

Most recently, Graeme Smith has been appointed as the Commissioner for the SA20 League. This is a new Twenty20 cricket league in South Africa.

Amazing Records

• Graeme Smith holds the world record for captaining the most Test matches (109). He is the only Test captain to play in over 100 matches.
• He also holds the world record for the most wins as a Test captain, with 53 victories.
• Smith has scored the most centuries (15) as a captain in Test match wins.
• He holds the record for the most catches (82) by a non-wicketkeeper in Test match wins.
• He was the fastest South African cricketer to reach 1000 Test runs.
• Smith scored the most Test runs as a captain (8659).
• He and Jacques Kallis set a record for the highest partnership for any wicket by debutants in T20 Internationals (84 runs).
• Graeme Smith has an unusual record against England. In 2003, 2008, and 2012, three different England Test captains retired after their teams failed to beat South Africa when Smith was captain.

See also

• List of international cricket centuries by Graeme Smith