Kirsten says Greame Smith the Greatest Captain !! Thoughts

[PokerAce]

I am surprised there is no thread discussing this. According to Kirsten, Smith is the greatest test captain. Do you agree with this. If not then who would you say is the greatest captain of all times.

I for one do not agree with the statement at all. I mean there are greats like Clive Llyod, Imran Khan, Alan Border, Steve Waugh to name some 'great' captain over the years, and then there is Greame Smith. I am sorry but he doesn't cut it for me. Captaincy has to go beyond numbers, especially the 'great' captains have that quality in terms of leadership and they command respect even from the opposition. I would rate Stephan Fleming a far better captain than Smith. Fleming had a very very ordinary team to work with, but he was still a better overall captain than Smith, I feel.

I don't think Smith is the greatest SA captain either and I would rate Wessels, Cronje and Pollock all above Smith. They were leaders and I know Cronje has the whole match fixing thing around him, but he was still a better leader than Smith. Smith has great numbers probably, but the greatest 'captain' has to do with so much more than just numbers. I don't see Smith making the cut, as being one of the great captains, let alone the greatest one.

 

[asprin]

I disagree with Kirsten too. Great captains aren't made of numbers alone. I think what made Kirsten make that statement was that Smith had taken up the captaincy at a very young age (22 I think) and he had barely played a few tests at International level.

To reach where he is today from that position is really commendable, but it would be unfair to call him the greatest captain when there clearly are far more better candidates (listed in the above post)

 

[stefan]

Smith is the greatest SA captain I have seen but the likes of waugh and taylor were much better captains.

Cronje is a cheat, nothing else to say about him. Wessels was tough but lacked imagination. Pollock wen't by script and had no plan b.

The only thing missing from smith's achievements were icc tournament wins, a win in sri lanka and a home win vs aus.

Couldn't have asked more from the guy.

 

[harishankar]

Don't forget that South Africa have had one of the strongest bowling attacks for a while now in International cricket, particularly in their home conditions and in places like Australia, England etc.

South Africa have also been blessed with one of the greatest allrounders, Jacques Kallis, which means that Graeme Smith has always had the luxury of balance in the side and an extra bowling option at all times.

To be frank, I think he's a good, aggressive captain, but certainly not the greatest of all time and certainly he had a team that was so strong, he didn't really have to come up with innovative tactics often.

 

[Dare]

Clive Lloyd had the best of the Caribbean in his team. From 1 to 11 there was a star, some of the best in the world. Lots of superstars and he kept all of them in check, that was his greatest accomplishment as a leader.
They were all from different islands, different countries and he got all of them to unite for a common cause.
He made everyone accountable and never took a step back.
He never let two from the same island be in the same room, he made players learn about each other and get to know their teammates.
I think out of all the great captains he had the greatest challenge because of the man different countries he had to unite as one.

 

[ferg512]

I know I'm probably biased but I do agree that Fleming is a better captain than Smith. Like you say we didn't have the strongest team under Fleming, while Smith always has had a really good team.

 

[War]

I know I'm probably biased but I do agree that Fleming is a better captain than Smith. Like you say we didn't have the strongest team under Fleming, while Smith always has had a really good team.

Yea absolutely in my lifetime of watching cricket since the 1996 world cup, Mark Taylor, Fleming and Michael Clarke are the 3 best captains i've seen quite easily.

 

[VC the slogger]

I know I'm probably biased but I do agree that Fleming is a better captain than Smith. Like you say we didn't have the strongest team under Fleming, while Smith always has had a really good team.

I too would pick Fleming over Smith. Saw him outsmart Smith whenever the two sides met back in those days.

 

[basappa]

Yes Smith was Greatest captain of SA. In world there are so many captains much much better than him.
But there is no doubt that he did a commendable job for SA