Should Graeme Smith have walked out?

[Rachael]

If the press reports are right, Graeme Smith is being micro-managed quite appallingly by SA selectors... and it sounds as if he came close to waving away Haroon Lorgat, the convener of South Africa's selection committee. I'm not sure whether waving the guy away, decking him or tending his resignation and walking from the ground would have been most preferable... though I would have loved to see Smith, Arthurs, Kallis, Boucher, Pollock and Ntini all refuse to play until the ******** in charge tended his OWN resignation!

I'm not sure which course of action was the RIGHT one (though option 5 seems rather less satisfying than options 2-3-4)... but going out to bat when all you want to do is batter Haroon Lorgat around the head is NOT the way to ensure you perform!

[Seamer]

I voted resigning. I have always detested Smith as a person - he reminds me of an extremely spoilt 4 yo child who is in desperate need of a good spanking. He walks around the cricketing world stirring up angst, discord and general negitivity and i feel world cricket would be far better off without him.

[butchering lee]

Originally Posted by Seamer

He walks around the cricketing world stirring up angst, discord and general negitivity

i didn't vote - because i feel Lorgat has something of a point...but i like smith, mainly for the reasons quoted above, though i feel his spread of angst and discord is focussed rather than the random virus suggested by seamer.

[Maranello]

I like Smith too, and I feel sorry he has to routinely make a prat of himself

In this case, Lorgat was right and Rachael is wrong. Its the selector's job to select - if Smith is not happy with the team he is given, he should resign.

[Rachael]

Originally Posted by butchering lee

i didn't vote - because i feel Lorgat has something of a point...

I can see why Smith arouses strong feelings... and can quite accept that Lorgat had reasonable grounds for concern... but I do DETEST micro-management... and the idea of the chairman of selectors sticking his oar in on match day strikes me as completely out of order: he's free to take action against Smith and Arthurs after the match / series is concluded.... but wreaking havoc to match day preparations strikes me as completely unacceptable.

[Maranello]

Originally Posted by Rachael

wreaking havoc to match day preparations strikes me as completely unacceptable.

Depends on what the respective remit of the Selectors and the Coach/Captain is. Maybe it's the norm for Lorgat to review the team on the morning of a home ODI - in that case, his intervention would be perfectly reasonable since he would be only doing his job!!

[Rachael]

Selectors selecting and captains captaining strikes me as fine... but is that what happened here? Strikes me that the selection was all done and dusted... in plenty of time for the side to make their plans and prepare properly... and then all turned around just as Smith was going out for the toss.

I don't like the ideas of selectors being over-ruled by management where they have made their preferences clear (e.g. Fletcher picking Jones and Giles the moment he's got the license that comes from being on tour) but the way to deal with deliberate flouting of selectorial instructions (e.g. by picking a player with an injury) is in a review session!

[Wanderer]

If the press reports are right

Depends. There's always this thing about press reports. You only get to hear a particular person's point of view...

On the subject at hand, my opinion is this: Smith did the same to others, he should be big enough to be at the receiving end too...

[Mr Hutt]

Childish behaviour by Smith....

Selectors normally do the selections.. if something is wrong im sure it could have been discussed rationally, rathr than doing all this.. plus he was so mad he gave his wicket away also.. not that he has been in hot form lately lol.

[gibbs_fan]

I must say as a SA fan, I do not like Graeme Smith. His behaviour is actually embarrasing. He certainly talks the talk but never walks the walk. He must realise that the selectors to the selection. Also I think that he has his favourites in the team ( Nel, Steyn etc) and they keep on getting selected. I remember in the home series against England when Langeveldt was bowling like a star in the provincial competition but Smith insisted on playing Steyn, (who was quite poor against England). When Langeveldt eventually replaced Steyn in the series, we all know what he did to England. That was the only match SA won.

Smith should be dropped from the team as he never performs and his prematch antics always seem to put SA under pressure. He also never gives the opposition any credit.

As for Seamers remarks, well it seems that Smith acts like a typical Australian.