Denial is not just a river in Africa

Anyone with any semblance of intelligence, who is a legitimate student of the game, knows that Graeme Smith has a technique dilemma.

His footwork and balance are the bedrock of his predicament and symptomatically his head is often outside the line of the ball. What I am saying is nothing new and Graeme knows that. His modes of dismissal have been consistently familiar over the last two years and now is the time for reflection. Graeme also knows that.

There is a reason that, as soon as your hands are big enough to partially wrap around a bat handle and your pads come up to your waist as you stumble around trying to emulate your hero, your coach keeps drumming into your head to “play straight”.

That is the best advice you can get and it comes at a very early age.

Some players have a gift. No-one can deny that Smith has that, and his extraordinary success some three years ago when he first donned the skipper’s badge was astonishing. However, looking back, it may have been his greatest enemy. The cricketing world took notice of this young, brash, run machine.

The various strategists in all cricketing nations identified the Smith threat and viewed hours of Smith’s carnage and consequently plans were hatched. Bowl six inches outside off stump and get him to chase a delivery, or bowl straight and trap him LBW as he works the ball to leg. Smith in his very finest form would have no problem at all with either delivery but when all is not totally in sync, disappointment results.

For Graeme to comment last week that his run drought has nothing to do with his batting technique and that it is caused by psychological reasons is tantamount to turkeys voting for Xmas!

Any top sportsman knows that there is only one way to rectify technique issues. Get back to the drawing board and be self-analytical and honest with yourself. Smith knows that.

The game around Smith has evolved. Smith hasn’t.

Graeme is a workaholic. Few pound the kookaburra with the ferocity as the captain does when practicing. He needs to regularly feel leather on willow to satisfy his thirst for pursuing excellence.

It is extraordinary, considering the batting plight he finds himself in, that he has been ordered to rest from the SuperSport series. That is in complete contrast to Smith’s reasoning that he needs to bat more to rectify the state of affairs and regain self-assurance.

Smith knows that.