5 greatest batting years in Test cricket history

#3 Graeme Smith (South Africa) - 2008

Smith led from the front

MATCHES	INNINGS	RUNS	AVERAGE	HIGHEST	50s	100s
15	25	1656	72.00	232	6	6

Playing nearly 75 percent of the year’s Test matches away from home is always a challenge. Add to that, diverse conditions – Headingley’s swing, Kanpur’s turn and Perth’s pace. Now there’s a one-way ticket to a slump in form.

Not for Graeme Smith, though.

When a person plays his ninth Test as captain and celebrates the elevation with a 277, 85 and 259 in consecutive innings spread across his eleventh and twelfth Test, only a fool will believe that swing, pace and spin is capable of scaring such a man.

2008 was one such year in the life of Graeme Smith. Bring the conditions on, and watch him bat like there’s no tomorrow.

It all started with the thumping of West Indies at home, and the annihilation of Bangladesh away. Smith had a role to play in both the occasions. Against West Indies, he led his troops from the front – claiming the series via a thrashing margin after losing the first game to the visitors.

Some seventeen hours of flight time away, he bludgeoned Bangladesh in Chittagong with his 415-run opening partnership with Neil McKenzie. Smith scored 232 runs in that innings, and the pair broke the long-standing record held by Pankaj Roy and Vinoo Mankad of India.

Playing Bangladesh’s neighbour, India was always going to be a challenge. Captained by the wily Anil Kumble, the team boasted of stalwarts such as Sachin Tendulkar, Rahul Dravid, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman. A high scoring draw in Chennai was followed by a rare innings victory against India in Ahmedabad.

However, it was the 104 runs he scored in the two innings at Kanpur that Smith would be proud of. On a minefield of a pitch, where Sourav Ganguly rated his own 87 as his career’s best performance, Smith was largely responsible for South Africa’s respectable first innings total. In the second innings, Smith ensured that South Africa wouldn’t get all out below 100 runs.

Once in England, Smith re-lived his 2003 form, ending the Basil D’Oliveira Trophy as the third highest run-getter with 369 runs at an average of 61.50. He capped the year with a century against Australia at Perth and two half-centuries at Melbourne.