2nd Test: Do-or-die situation for Graeme Smith

Zee Media Bureau/ Suyash Srivastava

New Delhi: He might have led South Africa extremely well in the past, but skipper Graeme Smith now finds himself in a do-or-die situation against Australia in the ongoing Test series. Smith had a forgettable first Test where he just faced three balls and was dismissed by Mitchell Johnson in both innings. Even in the Test series against India, while AB de Villiers and Faf du Plessis entertained the home crowd with some massive knocks, Smith managed to score a half-century, that too not convincingly. In the two Test series against Pakistan in 2013, Smith struck form in the last match played at Dubai, where he slammed 234 runs and was also involved in a crucial partnership with AB de Villiers. But as South Africa trail 0-1 against Australia, the team management would want Smith to lead from the front and contribute with the bat. Everybody knows what happened with England when they returned from the Ashes series after suffering enough humiliation at the hands of the Aussies. In case if South Africa experience something similar on their home ground, Smith would probably be the first one who will have to bear the wrath of the selectors.