Graeme Smith leads his team with a resolute determination and leaves no leaf unturned when it comes to winning matches for his country. He is focused, goal-oriented and demands the best from his teammates and gives his best, says JOSHY JOSEPH.

He is elegant, poised and leads his team from the front. A sportsman with a never-say-die spirit, he strives for victory each time he takes to the field. He is determined to outdo his opponents. Graeme Craig Smith, the current captain of the South African cricket team, is the epitome of mature leadership.

Making his test debut for South Africa in Cape Town against Australia in 2002, Graeme Smith scored his first half-century in the second innings of the match. Within a short period of time he established himself as a prolific run scorer and as an occasional handy off-spin bowler. His flair to take on the opposition bowlers and his flamboyant style have often given invaluable impetus to his team's innings whether chasing or posting totals.

In 2003, at the age of 22, Graeme Smith became South Africa's youngest-ever captain when he took over the reigns from Shaun Pollock. With barely a handful of international matches under his belt, Smith had very few achievements to boast about. However, he did not let down his supporters. During the 2003 South African tour of England he made double centuries in consecutive test matches: 277 at Edgbaston and 259 at Lord's (277 being the highest individual innings ever made by a South African player, and the 259 is the highest score ever made at Lord's by a foreign player).

But it was not an easy ride for him. Smith woke up to the harsh realities of international cricket with a jolt in 2004. Reality bit fiercest on the subcontinent, where a dilapidated South African side lost test series against both India and Sri Lanka. There was also a run of 11 defeats in 12 one-day internationals under his captaincy and to top it all his scores too began to run dry. But he roared back to form in the series against West Indies in 2005, when he piled up three consecutive hundreds and became the first captain since 1977 to finish a Caribbean tour without losing a game. By the end of 2005 he had led the South African team to 17 consecutive undefeated matches in one-day internationals.

Then in 2006, in an unforgettable match, Smith captained his side to victory against Australia in an ODI where the Proteas chased down a mammoth target of 434 with a ball to spare. Smith scored 90 off 55 balls in that match. At his first World Cup in 2007, Smith led his team to the semi-finals. Though they were defeated by the Cup favourites Australia in the crucial tie, Smith had scored consistently throughout the tournament amassing 443 runs. With time, Smith has honed and proved his leadership skills. Smith is also known for his successful opening partnership with Herschelle Gibbs, South Africa's most prolific-ever opening partners. He has the distinction of being part of all four 300 plus runs opening partnership for South Africa in test cricket and in three of them he was partnered by Gibbs, and the fourth one in 2008 Smith added 415 for the first wicket with Neil McKenzie against Bangladesh, a world record opening partnership. Again in the same year a rearguard century to save the first test was followed by a brilliant unbeaten 154 in the final innings of the third, as South Africa ended a 43-year lull with their first series win in England since the end of apartheid.

His biggest triumph, though, came in December 2008 when Smith set up a chase of 414 in Perth with his 108, and scored half-centuries in both innings at Melbourne as South Africa completed their first test series win in Australia.

Smith's hunger for success, grit and determination and his ability to lead his team from the front has earned him respect not only from his teammates but also from his opponents. Under his leadership South African cricket is surging ahead and they promise a lot to the cricketing world in the years to come.

Born: February 1, 1981, Johannesburg, South Africa Test debut: Vs Australia, Cape Town, March 2002 Highest test score: 277 vs England at Birmingham, July 2003 Best test bowling: 2 for 145 vs West Indies in Antigua, April / May 2005 ODI debut: Vs Australia, March 2002 Highest ODI score: 134 not out vs India at Calcutta, November 2005 Best ODI bowling: 3 for 30 vs Sri Lanka at Perth, January 2006.