Graeme Smith not pleased with Aiden Markram accepting captaincy role

Former South African skipper Graeme Smith recently expressed his disappointment at the way team South Africa have surrendered meekly against the touring Indian side. Smith also looked particularly unimpressed with stand-in skipper Aiden Markram. Aiden Markram was handed over the captaincy duty after having played just a couple of ODIs. He was asked to lead the team after Faf du Plessis was injured and subsequently ruled out of the series.

While many doubted the move by the selectors, there were a few who saw the long term vision in Markram’s appointment. They believed that the selectors are trying to pull off another ‘Graeme Smith’ in Markram. It is worth noting that even Smith was named as the Proteas skipper at a very young age.

However, as per the quotes in ESPNcricinfo, Graeme Smith remarked that Markram missed the trick by accepting the captaincy. He felt that Markram should have established himself before taking up the role.

“I don’t think it was the right decision. One, he was batting out of position at No. 4 at the start of the series, something he had to come to terms with, and then you’ve piled him under pressure not only on his own game but also as a captain,” Graeme Smith quoted.

Failure of the senior players

Adding further on the same note, Smith admitted that it sounds absurd to quote such things since even he was made the captain at a very young age. However, Smith still reiterated that it would have been better had Markram got runs under his belt in the ODIs before taking over as the captain. Also, Smith expressed his disappointment at the way senior players like Hashim Amla, JP Duminy, and David Miller, failed to take up the responsibility of saving the side.

“Probably coming from me that doesn’t make sense because I got given the job at a very young age. I think it was an interim thing, not a full-time thing. I would have rather have had him find his place, find his feet within the one-day set-up, try and get runs behind him,” the former South African skipper remarked.

“What was disappointing for me was that I don’t think the other senior players stepped up around him – the Amlas, Duminys, Millers, those guys just never got it going from a performance perspective, an intensity perspective. They needed to get behind and lead the way almost,” he added further.

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