[reeflingo]

http://www.news.com....iermail/story/0,23739,26525741-10389,00.html

Quote

WHEN Graeme Smith was named South African captain in March, 2003, the cricket world shook its head.

A 22-year-old captaining a Test team? What were they thinking? The boy had played only eight Tests.

Yet somehow it not only worked but proved the most inspired choice South African cricket has ever made.

Good choice allthough other contenders were a bit hard done by.

1. Graeme Smith

Tests 78

Runs 6354

Average 49.64

100s 18

2. Adam Gilchrist

Tests 91

Runs 5130

Average 46.63

100s 15

Dismissals 397

3. Muttiah Muralidaran

Tests 84

Wickets 565

Average 20.97

10w match 20

5w innings 49

4. Shane Warne

Tests 65

Wickets 357

Average 25.17

10w match 6

5w innings 21

5. Ricky Ponting

Tests 106

Runs 9389

Average 58.68

100s 32

6. Matthew Hayden

Tests 96

Runs 8364

Average 52.93

100s 29

7. Glenn McGrath

Tests 66

Wickets 297

Average 20.51

10w match 2

5w innings 14

8. Jacques Kallis

Tests 100

Runs 8552

Average 58.97

100s 27

Wickets 205

Average 31.79

5w innings 4

9. Andrew Flintoff

Tests 74

Runs 3695

Average 32.69

100s 5

Wickets 220

Average 32.38

5w innings 3

10. Sachin Tendulkar

Tests 89

Runs 7129

Average 53.2

100s 21

[aftertheFALLoutboy]

Surprising one of the Australians didnt get it.. I guess the fact that Hayden, McGrath, Warne and Gilchrist retired before the decade was out counted against them.. Although Ponting must have been a chance..

I been a big fan of Smith for alot of years, so well dont to him.. even if I dont fully agree with it..

[hilfenpaine]

Ponting very unlucky IMO

[Sean Wilson]

A lot of the others have better records, Flintoff and Kallis as all-rounders, Murali and Ponting as a bowler and a batsman respectively, at the least.

[reeflingo]

To be fair to Smith, going into Captaincy at a young age and to succeed, is just awesome!

[aftertheFALLoutboy]

Thinking about it now, if anyone other than Ponting was to get it, it should have been Kallis.