Graeme Smith Official Website

Statement from Graeme Smith

// August 18th, 2010 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

Good afternoon everybody and thank you very much for taking the time to be here.
The off season has provided a great opportunity for me to reflect on our teams’ successful journey and set some challenging personal goals for the future.
After a lot of thought and consideration I have decided to step down from the captaincy of the Standard Bank ODI squad at the conclusion of the 2011 ICC World Cup campaign. I will also stand down as captain of the Standard Bank Pro20 International squad with immediate effect.
There are several reasons why I have made this important career decision. I am going into my ninth season of international cricket – eight of which have been as captain. It is my intention to play for another five or six years and I know in my heart that I can only do that if I give up some of my current responsibilities.
It has always been my philosophy not only to make the Proteas the best team we can possibly be but also to enable the players to grow both as cricketers and as people. I believe we have now reached the stage where there are several players emerging within the squad to take on leadership roles.
My decision automatically poses the questions of why I am announcing it now and why I am not waiting until after the World Cup. It is absolutely vital that we maintain continuity in a World Cup season and this major competition also concludes the current cycle of limited overs cricket. I also feel that making the announcement now will provide the time and development necessary to ensure a smooth transition.
I remain passionate about the captaincy of the Proteas and after the World Cup I will continue to lead the Test team with pride and will continue to be available for selection in all formats of the game.
In the shorter term and shorter format, all of our efforts are now focused on winning the elusive ICC World Cup in February 2011, an achievement which everyone involved with the Proteas has firmly in their sights.
I would like to thank Cricket South Africa and particularly the CEO, Gerald Majola, for their understanding and support of my decision.
I would also like to take this opportunity to announce that I will soon be launching my own leadership foundation, an initiative which I feel very passionate about. The purpose of the Graeme Smith Foundation is to share the skills which I have acquired through my cricket career to develop leadership programmes for young South Africans in order for them to have a wider impact in their communities.
I remain highly motivated to play at the highest level and from a personal perspective I feel excited about the challenges which lie ahead and focused on the ambitious goals which I have set myself.
In terms of the Proteas I know that the players are all working incredibly hard and we look forward to delivering our best cricket in the months ahead.
ends

Official Statement from Cricket South Africa

// August 18th, 2010 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

GRAEME SMITH announced on Wednesday his intention to stand down as national captain of the Standard Bank Pro20 International squad with immediate effect and as captain of the Standard Bank ODI squad at the conclusion of the 2011 ICC World Cup next year.
He will remain captain of the Castle Test squad and will be available for selection for the Proteas in all three formats of the game.
“The off season has provided a great opportunity for me to reflect on our teams’ successful journey and set some challenging personal goals for the future,” commented Smith.
“After a lot of thought and consideration I have decided to step down from the captaincy of the Standard Bank ODI squad at the conclusion of the 2011 ICC World Cup campaign. I will also stand down as captain of the Standard Bank Pro20 International squad with immediate effect.”
Smith outlined the reasons behind his decision. “There are several reasons why I have made this important career decision. I am going into my ninth season of international cricket – eight of which have been as captain. It is my intention to play for another five or six years and I know in my heart that I can only do that if I give up some of my current responsibilities.
“It has always been my philosophy not only to make the Proteas the best team we can possibly be but also to enable the players to grow both as cricketers and as people. I believe we have now reached the stage where there are several players emerging within the squad to take on leadership roles.
“My decision automatically poses the questions of why I am announcing it now and why I am not waiting until after the World Cup. It is absolutely vital that we maintain continuity in a World Cup season and this major competition also concludes the current cycle of limited overs cricket. I also feel that making the announcement now will provide the time and development necessary to ensure a smooth transition.
“I remain passionate about the captaincy of the Proteas and after the World Cup I will continue to lead the Test team with pride and will continue to be available for selection in all formats of the game.”
Cricket South Africa (CSA) CEO Gerald Majola commented: “I have seen Graeme develop as a cricketer over the past decade or so, and I am proud of how far he has come. He took over the Proteas’ captaincy at a young age, and has faced incredible challenges, which he has overcome.
“I support whatever decision he makes, because I know that he is doing what is best for him as a cricketer, and what is best for South African cricket. Graeme still has a lot to achieve in his cricket career and CSA backs him 100 percent.
“His decision to step down from International Pro20 captaincy with immediate effect, and the ODI captaincy at the end of the 2011 Cricket World Cup, opens the door for other young stars to make a name for themselves as leaders.”
Turning his attention to the season ahead Smith commented: “In the shorter term and shorter format, all of our efforts are now focused on winning the elusive ICC World Cup in February 2011, an achievement which everyone involved with the Proteas has firmly in their sights.
“I would like to thank Cricket South Africa and particularly the CEO, Gerald Majola, for their understanding and support of my decision.
“I would also like to take this opportunity to announce that I will soon be launching my own leadership foundation, an initiative which I feel very passionate about. The purpose of the Graeme Smith Foundation is to share the skills which I have acquired through my cricket career to develop leadership programmes for young South Africans in order for them to have a wider impact in their communities.
“I remain highly motivated to play at the highest level and from a personal perspective I feel excited about the challenges which lie ahead and focused on the ambitious goals which I have set myself.
“In terms of the Proteas I know that the players are all working incredibly hard and we look forward to delivering our best cricket in the months ahead,” he concluded.

Statement: Smith hails Louis Oosthuizen & Jordy Smith

// July 19th, 2010 // No Comments » // Uncategorized

PROTEAS’ captain Graeme Smith hailed South African golfer Louis Oosthuizen after the latter won the Open Golf Championship, one of the four Majors of the game, by a runaway margin of 7 strokes at the legendary Royal & Ancient Golf Club, St. Andrews, on Sunday.

Like most of his cricketing colleagues Smith is a keen golfer and hardly missed a stroke that Oosthuizen played in the final round.

“It is another wonderful moment for South African sport,” commented Smith, “and builds on the feel good atmosphere created by our successful Soccer World Cup. “I would also like to congratulate Jordy Smith who won the Billabong Pro J-Bay 2010 today and became the No. 1 surfer in the world on the ASP World Title rankings.

“We have got Cricket South Africa’s golf day coming up on Tuesday and there is only going to be one topic of conversation there! Louis has been a huge inspiration to all of us and is a wonderful example of how to live one’s dreams.

“For this to happen on our beloved Madiba’s 92nd birthday adds to what is a truly special occasion for our country.”

Back from some time out…….

// April 22nd, 2010 // 3 Comments » // Uncategorized

Hi there everyone.

In the stressful world of sport when you are meeting demands of performance and being a public figure it’s always nice to be able to find time to go away. Physically as a sportsman your body is trained to cope with all you need to do but one of the biggest challenges you face is staying emotionally and mentally fresh in the game.

Finding time away is crucial and for each person it will be different for me it’s the bush and I don’t know if its something that takes you back to where you began or whether it’s the fact that you can get away from people and a cellphone signal! Maybe it’s the fact that you don’t have contact with the outside world that helps but I thorough ally enjoy the time away to relax, regroup and reconnect with myself and close friends whilst enjoying something that is untouched by the commercial part of our world.

So in this vain I spent a long weekend with some close friends in Timbavati region and indulged in a weekend of down time, game viewing and fun braai’s around the house with my friends. We have a fantastic time and for me it was the perfect get away and I came back feeling very refreshed and excited to play cricket again.

Nature is an extraordinary leveler as sitting watching a lion or an elephant you realize how powerless we are against nature. I feel the time away gives me great perspective on the daily situations I find myself on and off the field.

I have posted some pics of my weekend in my gallery.

As we speak I am winding up all my preparations for the tour and am about to start packing my bags to leave on Saturday. I am looking forward to being back and will chat to you again from the West Indies.

Biff

Ps. Will keep tweeting!

Off the field…….

// March 26th, 2010 // 3 Comments » // Uncategorized

Hi. when I sat down to write this blog I thought instead of giving you the generic breakdown of what has been happening on the cricket field I would instead write about some of the off the field stuff we have to keep going.
With the current cricket schedule we travel nine months of the year so you have to be pretty organised in your life. I almost wish that there would be more lessons at school to teach you about doing your tax, running a diary and managing your personal affairs! I am in a fortunate position in my career that I have family and systems in place to help me cope with these aspects of my life but I must say it can be very challening at times catching up when you are only home in short spurts.
I think financial planning is essential for anyone – but especially for a professional athlete. We are in the privileged position that we get to play a sport we love and have a career in it but the humbling part is that it is only for a short time. My cricket career in a sense will be my first career and then I will embark on finding something else that I am passionate about to do. As a young cricketer it was not something that I gave much thought too but as I have got older and it is something I am acutely aware of.
In the last two to three years I feel that I have surrounded myself with good structures and with maturing I have a better understanding and control over these important facets of my life and I think it reflects in my performance.
On a lighter note, keep praying for my fingers!
Graeme

Statement from Graeme Smith

// December 10th, 2009 // 4 Comments » // Uncategorized

It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of my beloved grandfather, Richard Smith. My family and I would like to thank everybody for their prayers and support during this time.
I was very close to my grandfather and have very fond memories of our time together. I learnt a lot from him that will help guide me through my life.
Thank you for allowing us our privacy over this period.
Graeme

Let’s play cricket

// October 30th, 2009 // 3 Comments » // Uncategorized

This off season has been an interesting one for me because I have had to put a lot of extra work in this season. My season ended with my elbow still giving me one or two problems so back to the specialist, I went. After a small operation I started on my rehab. All went extremely well and I went into the Champions League feeling good. I have also been on an eating plan and trying to be more healthy all round. The Champions Trophy was enjoyable but we were obviously very disappointed that the Proteas did not get further in the tournament.

I was not allowed to go with Cobra’s to India and instead have stayed behind to continue the rehab on my shoulder and get ready for the England series. As part of my preparation I have been playing for the Cobra’s again. Prior to that though I was able to play two Club games for Rygersdaal to get some batting practice. I must say that enjoyed it and had great fun playing cricket with some of my mates. Not something I usually get to do with our current cricket schedule. I will play three games for the Cobra’s before joining up with the Proteas early November for the England series.

I have been able to get away for a few weekends with friends and have also been fulfilling some of my sponsor commitments. I had a great shoot with Nashua Mobile with John Smit – it was the first time we had ever done anything together – and we had great fun. Look out for the TV advert which should come out around the festive season.

On the whole I am feeling good and ready to play some cricket again!
Looking forward to seeing the SA supporters come out at the stadiums over the next few months.
C’mon the Proteas!

Welcome

// October 30th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Uncategorized

Welcome to my new home page. I am hoping to share my continuing journey in cricket with all of you. We have had a very exciting two years and by all accounts our programme next year will allow us to play some more exciting cricket. We are three weeks away from England arriving here for their tour. This is always an exciting time as the two nations have such a healthy competitive attitude towards each other.

So, for the next three months we will be travelling around South Africa, visiting all the beautiful cities, and showing England what a summer really looks like!

We look forward to seeing all of you come out in support of the Proteas.

I will keep you posted along the way
Graeme