Shane Warne's century
Siddhartha Talya
25-Feb-2013
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Shane Warne includes Graeme Smith at number 44 in a list of his top hundred cricketers. Aside from his immense talent as a batsman, Warne believes Smith, as captain, is “on the verge of something special” as he heads a formidable South African outfit; a team that can potentially challenge Australia. Warne also feels Kevin Pietersen (no.33 in his list) has the all the makings of becoming the best batsman in the world. Read Warne’s Top 100 List in the Times.
At Test level, I reckon Smith could now be on the verge of something pretty special. South Africa have the makings of a side that can challenge Australia. I am still not convinced by their spin options, but in the seam department Dale Steyn has had a lot of success over the past 12 months, and Morne Morkel is genuinely brisk and is going to be a handful in Australia.
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There is no doubt in my mind that Kevin Pietersen can become the best batsman in the world. There will be no doubt in his mind, either. He's not far away now! He has bags of confidence, and, let's be honest, he has a lot to be confident about. Not many batsmen can average almost 50 in Test cricket but still look as though they are capable of better.
Siddhartha Talya is a senior sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo