Smith's book causes controversy

Graeme Smith's new book, A Captain's Diary 2007-2009 has caused controversy after a former board president claimed there were defamatory remarks about him in it. Norman Arendse, who resigned as president last year, has threatened legal action unless statements in the book criticising him were deleted.

Arendse's legal counsel, Dines Gihwala, said he would write to the publisher Jonathan Ball demanding the removal of those statements. Jeremy Boraine, the publishing director of Jonathan Ball, said he would discuss it with Smith. "The book has been published and is in the market," Boraine told the Johannesburg-based Times. "I will have to look at it and discuss it with Graeme and our lawyers."

Smith criticised Arendse's role in picking a controversial squad for the team's tour to India last year when Andre Nel was replaced by Charl Langeveldt in keeping with South Africa's transformation policy which requires at least six players of colour in a 14-man squad.

"The CSA president was becoming more and more involved in every facet of the game," Smith wrote. "I think, at various times, he [Arendse] wanted to be captain, coach, CEO, president and convener of selectors, which became very frustrating."

The team was in Bangladesh when the squad to India was announced and Smith said there was a lot of tension within the team.

"When I told Langers, 'you're going to India,' there was no smile, no celebration -- he just looked at me and said, 'but why?' He was very taken aback by his selection and he took the fax and put a red line through his name. The next day on the bus there was a lot of tension in the air and it was very quiet; everybody kept their heads down and nobody spoke. It was a terrible environment."

Langeveldt eventually withdrew from the tour, saying the controversy over the selection of the squad upset him and he felt wouldn't be in the right frame of mind for the matches. Arendse denied interfering with the team selection, maintaining that Langeveldt's name had been in the original squad that was presented to him.

The South Africa Cricketers' Association chief Tony Irish, who had then feared the national side would lose both Nel and Langeveldt because of political interference, supported Smith in the latest controversy. "I've read what Graeme has to say about the Langeveldt-Nel issue and as far as I know it's pretty accurate," Irish said.