Graeme Smith - now one century behind Sobers

[Arnik]

Good century by Smith in the 1st test at the Oval.

The South African captain is now equal with Chanderpaul on 25 test centuries and 1 behind Sobers who has 26.

[BallOil]

congrats to Smith... he loves the English bowling! finally mek way for a well played 131

[BallOil]

Smith loves the English bowling in England.. with a whopping 75.87 average there with 5 tons and two of em are doubles link

[BallOil]

Smith joins an exclusive list of players scoring a 100 in their 100th Test

[bossman19TT]

ugly to watch an suspect technique but supremely effective...

strong, bullish, fighter who makin de MOST of he talent...WI players could learn a ting or two from de man SMITH. a boss cricketer. an average of nearly 57 4th innings does show exactly de type of fight yuh need in cricket to be de best

[mapoui]

I really do not understand this almost uncritical appreciation of smit' here

this man is a berk, not a very good captain who has effected decions on the field captains like Sobers and Lara got pilloried for

Sobers declared and gave england a test at POS in 1968. we never heard the end of that. it still looms like a sword over Sobers head today

Smith did far worse against the Ox if that can be imagined. he made a truly stupid declaration under no pressure at all and gave the test match to the Oz.......

and no one said a peep! if anything smith was praised where fault was found with Sobers..playing positive cricket. but if Sobers was stupid in making his own failure smit' was pure idiotic.

yet look how smit' is treated in cricinfo..celebrated, all his truly huge and ugly warts swept away under a journalistic have of golden light

how can I take all this seriously. its all hypocrssy to me.

the fact that truly bothers me is that the saffie rise coincides with a maroon downturn. thats the real gruelling fact, rasping away at my soul.

a real westiandin side could have put these rude, chauvinist, Boer skunts in their place

then and their great westindian lover, who came back from reality yesterday..ARMIK

and Bally too!

[Arnik]

I really do not understand this almost uncritical appreciation of smit' here

What are you on about? Smith has a test average of 50.14 and just scored a century – you expect folks to be critical of that!!

this man is a berk, not a very good captain who has effected decions on the field captains like Sobers and Lara got pilloried for

I have no idea what Smith is like as a captain. Obviously he is still in charge of the SA test side so they must still like him.

Sobers declared and gave england a test at POS in 1968. we never heard the end of that. it still looms like a sword over Sobers head today

Smith did far worse against the Ox if that can be imagined. he made a truly stupid declaration under no pressure at all and gave the test match to the Oz.......

and no one said a peep! if anything smith was praised where fault was found with Sobers..playing positive cricket. but if Sobers was stupid in making his own failure smit' was pure idiotic.

The criticism against Sobers was from West Indians, so what is your point.

yet look how smit' is treated in cricinfo..celebrated, all his truly huge and ugly warts swept away under a journalistic have of golden light

I know it burning you but take a chill pill.

how can I take all this seriously. its all hypocrssy to me.

Now you getting carried away.

the fact that truly bothers me is that the saffie rise coincides with a maroon downturn. thats the real gruelling fact, rasping away at my soul.
a real westiandin side could have put these rude, chauvinist, Boer skunts in their place

And now the truth comes out. Get over it – SA been putting cut ass on the Windies since they came back into test cricket and you feeling it real bad.

[Arnik]

Geoffrey Boycott Ex-England batsman & Test Match Special summariser

"You can say what you like about Smith - that he's an ugly batsman, he's not aesthetically pleasing. But he's gutsy; he's determined; he's got a strong mind. When the going gets tough, he's the one South Africa look to. I like cricketers like that and I've got tremendous admiration for him."

[Arnik]

England v South Africa: Graeme Smith revels in 'dream' hundred
By Stephan Shemilt BBC Sport at The Oval
South Africa captain Graeme Smith says scoring a century against England in his 100th Test match was "a dream".
"When I got to 100, there were so many emotions coming through, knowing my wife is giving birth in three days' time," said the 31-year-old.
"It was a dream to achieve that."
He added: "I guess in the next day or two it will sink in. To play 100 Tests is a terrific achievement, then to get a hundred is the cherry on the top and it feels great."
In becoming only the seventh player to mark his 100th Test with a hundred, the left-hander also notched his fifth ton in England.
"I feel comfortable in England," Smith continued. "You get good preparation time to adapt and you spend some good time together as a team.
"It's always a big tour. I enjoy it, it brings the most out of me."
Smith shared a second-wicket stand of 259 with Hashim Amla, who ended the day unbeaten on 183. When Smith fell, Amla was joined by Jacques Kallis, who hit 82 not out.
On a pitch offering little assistance to the bowlers, South Africa have created the opportunity to post a huge total and leave England batting to save the game.
"It's been a difficult wicket to push on and score quickly, but if we set up a good base tomorrow [Sunday], then hopefully we can do that," said Smith.
"But tomorrow's a fresh day and we have to respect our opponents and their ability to bounce back. We do want to push for a victory, that's definitely in our minds."
England have taken only two wickets in the 135 overs they have delivered to the Proteas, but bowling coach David Saker was satisfied with how the home attack performed.
"I wouldn't have said it was bad bowling," said Saker. "It was a flat wicket and our guys toiled away really well.
"We just couldn't get the ball to move laterally, which is one of our big strengths.
"It was tough to watch, but I was pretty proud of the way they kept running in. They did pretty much everything we asked of them."

[mapoui]

I have no idea what Smith is like as a captain. Obviously he is still in charge of the SA test side so they must still like him.

my post wasnt addressed to you man. to the whole board in fact. your opinion of course is legal, right to respond to my comment. but I did not arks you specifically, anything.

but it is very interesting you feel you must go to such lenghts to defend a saffie(s)

and when people other than blac people speak in the presence of black people, they tend to speak to and with each other to the exclusion of those black present. I have noted that with whites, Indos, Chinese..everybody!

like several times before I learned by experience how to handle it, white people came up to me on the streets and asked me for directions.

'why wud they do that ' i asked myself but proceeded to give directions, when up comes a nearby white person who heard the question, who gets in on the directions, and they end up speaking exclusively to each other and I am out, ignored completely..at and feeling feeling rather poorly for the terrible slight and racism right there in my face.

then as I grew accustomed to racism in a whites sosicety I understood the routine flow of racism and governed myself to suit.

anythng at all far less directions on the street or in a store. if I go into a store for soemthing and I can find it I leave. to ask someone who knows is to open up self to insulting responses.

if I dont know a direction I go buy a map, or use the net, gps or seomthing. and if I cant find out in time I dont do it... or go only when I know.

I never set myself up again to be insulted by anyone at all...far less white people.

. I always manouvre any sitation in such ways as I am out anywway, to focus on my own movement.

that is what experience with whites...canadain society as a whole, taught me about my reality as a black man in the world. such as I do not exsist in a credible manner for the rest of the people in the world...especially whites. Blacs are nothng to them. not real human beings who ought to be treated with respst and credibility

which is why they can walk up to you and qask you anything at all and just diss you or walk away withoug thanks and recofgnition etc..or ignore in turn as someone white comes into the issus they easily speak to each other toyour total exclusion although you did not start it..your asked and kindly decided to hel

that is what I see when the white media apeaks..the same attitude. the white media are speaking to white people..openly...not to blacks. we can read and see what it says but so what. they have all the power so think and do what we will., they dont care.

this is my experience directly for 40 years. then I have lived through all kinds of times..and especially in cricket, we knew of the racism in the game directed at players african descent from home in the westindies to away tours... the story is well known.

then again on top of racism there is the natural subjectivity that makes all people look at themselves and their own kind with favor... as opposed to others..especially those they have dominated and turned into doormats...

man all this is quite simple yes! I dont read, listen to or take on commentators on cricket or on anythng at all...unless they are blac. and then again of them, only those whom I judge to be capable of proper assessment of reality.

and on that basis I listen to few if any commentators at all, for the blac ones usually work for the white owned companies so their points of vire are circumscribed by that fact.

my own judgement and long experience then is decisive in consideration of reality. period.

I have to live by my best interest, my own wits and skills..not yours..or boycotts' or anyone else's.

and my own skills, wits and judgement led me to all I have said here on this thread and everywhere else. I see all from my perspective, A BLAC MANS PERSPECTIVE. and from that angle they are all like I said..smith, kallis, Amla..all ah dem..

I would not waste my time defending the saffies them as extensivly as you do.

they are saffies, forriners...not westindians. you have a lot of time to go do that for for forriners. I dont. I have time to say it like I do now and here. not from their point of view. to hell with that