Birthday Special: Top records held by Graeme Smith in International cricket
Former South African and the most successful skipper in the history of Test cricket, Graeme Smith turns 43 on February 1st. The left-handed batter is one of the greatest players and captain cricket ever produced. Born in Johannesburg in 1981, Smith held a number of records in his illustrious career, some of which stand to this day.
Let’s take a look at the top records of Graeme Smith in international cricket:
1) Most victories as a captain in Tests (53)
Smith is the most successful skipper in the history of Tests. He captained South Africa in 108 games with 53 wins, 28 losses and 27 draws. Former Australian skipper Ricky Ponting is behind him in the second position with 48 victories. Smith was also presented with the ICC Test Championship Mace in 2013 for leading the Proteas to the No. 1 spot in the rankings. He is also the only player to lead a side in over 100 Tests.
2) Most centuries as a captain in Tests (25)
Smith also holds the record for hitting the most centuries as a skipper in Test cricket. In 109 games, he smashed 25 hundreds. India’s Virat Kohli is behind him with 20 centuries to his name. Smith has also reached the three-figure mark most times (16) as a leader in Test victories. Ponting is in the second spot with 14 tons.
3) Most runs as captain (8659)
Smith struck 8659 runs in 109 matches and leads the list for most runs as Test skipper. Former Australia captain Allan Border comes second position with 6623 runs to his name. Smith took charge in 2003 and he continued leading the side till 2014.
4) Most runs as an opener while leading the side (8538)
Smith also racked up the most runs as an opener while captaining the Test team. In 108 matches, he struck 8538 runs at an average of 48.23, with 25 hundreds and 35 half-centuries.
5) Most matches as South Africa captain across formats
Smith also led South Africa most number of times in international cricket. He took charge for the Proteas 284 times with 163 wins, 88 losses, one tie, 27 draws, and five no-results. Late Hansie Cronje is behind Smith with 191 matches as captain.
