"I would like to be rested for that tour!"
Despite a thumping return to his best form in the second half of the summer, Graeme Smith still struggles to shake off his critics and the sceptics, writes Neil Manthorp on Independent Online
George Binoy
25-Feb-2013
Despite a thumping return to his best form in the second half of the summer, Graeme Smith still struggles to shake off his critics and the sceptics, writes Neil Manthorp on Independent Online. He spoke to Smith on various subjects such as the imminent Bangladesh tour, his favourite memory of Shaun Pollock, and the best delivery that has dismissed him.
I would like to be rested for that [Bangladesh] tour! It's a tough one, but I think we should definitely consider resting players, particularly for the three one-dayers after the two Tests. The wickets will spin square, they are going to make life as difficult as possible for us, and rightly so! It'll be a wonderful opportunity for some of the up-and-coming players to learn (laughter). It is being discussed now. I can't see that guys like Jacques [Kallis] and Mark [Boucher] will benefit from playing those games, but other players certainly could benefit. If we want players like Jacques to be around for the next World Cup, then we need to start managing them.
George Binoy is an assistant editor at ESPNcricinfo