Oh, how the mighty have fallen (or are they just resting?)

Poor Graeme Smith. On the back of a hard-fought (and bar the disastrous pitch debacle at Newlands, pretty decent) cricket test series against Australia where Australia showed once and for all that, despite our reputation as scrappers and the close last 2 tests, they are simply better than us. He is now has an injured tip to his ring finger and has had Peter Roebuck pontificating what a great captain Jacques Kallis has been (would make?).

To top this, his ex-beau, the bokkie from beyond Cape Town's famous boerewors curtain, a certain Slinky Minky is rumoured to be dating the famous captain of another 11 man team and part-owner of Stoke-on-Trent's Port Vale football club. One Mr R. Williams.

Off-the-field trivialities aside, I am desperately keen to give Smith another chance to come good. So please Graeme, DO NOT rise to any bait that Stephen Fleming may cast at you. You have tried that strategy and failed dismally. But where Roebuck takes solace from Kallis's unruffled (in fact almost non-commmmital) response to some poor umpiring decisions and marginal sportsmanship from the Australians, I am glad that Smith has the candour to show his disappointment at such instances. If the "not out" LBW decision against him at Centurion was a potential turning point at the nadir of Smith's career, then I am really hoping that the series against the Kiwis will allow him to come-of-age and channel his talent, leadership and personality (only moderately reigned) into being the great player captain that we want him to be. I hope that he can prove his naysayers wrong as he rises from his resting place.