SMITH_SEEKS_FAST_LANE_25JUL95

SMITH SEEKS FAST LANE SHOT

Colin Bryden

Greg Smith is set to join the young fast bowlers queuing up for a place in the South African cricket team. The tall Northern Transvaal left-armer has been onr of the outstanding successes ot the Plascon Academy conducted in recent months by former SA captain Clive Rice. With Rice having been made a national selector, Smith 23, has a jump on some of the other contenders for the Test team against England this summer. "He`s quick, he`s left-arm, he swings the ball both ways and he knows what he`s trying to do," said Rice as the Academy team played a midweek match at the Wanderers Stadium.

Smith couldn`t take part because of a rib muscle injury which will keep him out of action for about two weeks. A week into the Academy, which started in April, Rice and his fellow coaches, Hylton Ackerman and Mark O`Donnell, told their 22 charges: "Right, you`ve had enough lectures from us. Now we want you to tell us what you`re doing." Says Rice: "Some of their chins dropped to the floor but it was our way of saying we wanted the players to think for themselves." Smith is an outstanding example of those who responded to the challenge. He says, "I`ve learnt a lot about the mental side of cricket. I believe I can now find a batsman`s weaknesses and work on him instead of just bowling and hoping something happens."

When Smith joined the Academy he had the natural advantage of pace, bounce and left-handedness with its attendant awkwardness of angle for right-hand batsmen. He used to swing some balls in to the batsman but under Rice`s guidance has learnt to swing the ball away as well.

There are no guarantees for Smith. His first challenge is to become a regular in the Northern Transvaal team. Although he showed promise last season he found himself on the sidelines more often than he was in the team, especially when Fanie de Villiers was home from international duty, with Steve Elworthy, Rudi Bryson and Chris van Noordwyk laso in the squad. If Smith does secure a plaace with Northerns, his chances of further progress are likely to be influenced by the state of fitness of Brett Schultz, a left-hander who has already proven himself at international level, but who has not played Test cricket for two years because of injury.

Smith, who took a year off his sports management studies at Pretoria Technikon in order to attend the Academy at Rand Afrikaans University, is an ambitious man. "I have my sights set higher than just regular Castle Cup cricket," he says. According to Rice, Northerns are the province most likely to be delighted with the progress of the players they nominated for the Academy. Apart from Smith, RIce was impressed by offspinner Mark Davis and batsmen Andre Seymore and Dirkie de Vos.

Another player Rice believes has a good future is Boland`s leftarm spinner Claude Henderson. It is a pity, he says, that neither was picked for SA under 24 team which will tour Sri Lanka next month. He wants Henderson, as a spinner, to be added to the squad.