As Graeme Smith reaches his landmark 100th Test, ESPNcricinfo picks five performances from him that stand out

Andrew McGlashan18-Jul-2012This is my nameSmith had not long been given the South African captaincy in the wake of the team’s 2003 World Cup exit and he was not that familiar to many in the England set up. Nasser Hussain referred to him as “what’s his name” in one interview, but by the end of the Edgbaston Test he knew plenty about his opposite number – and it was enough to push Hussain into resignation. Smith gorged himself on the England bowling as he and Herschelle Gibbs added 338 for the first wicket. When Smith reached his hundred on the first day he was the youngest Test captain to make three figures. And it didn’t stop there. At the end of the opening day he was unbeaten on 178 and continued past his double against a dispirited attack. He eventually picked out deep square-leg for 277 but a few days later at Lord’s he repeated the feat with 259. No one was forgetting his name now.Answering the criticsSmith’s unbeaten 125 at Wellington perhaps does not register alongside his matchwinning feats against England and Australia but it was a no less vital innings for the team and the player. It had not been an easy tour for Smith. South Africa had been given a 5-1 drubbing in the one-day series and New Zealand took an unexpected lead in Auckland although the captain had contributed 88 in the first innings. South Africa had missed the chance of a significant first-innings lead in the decided Test when they lost their last six wickets for 65, but the bowlers kept them in the match to leave a target of 234. Yet at 36 for 3 that was a long way off. Firstly Smith resisted on the fourth evening to quell New Zealand’s charge then on the final morning became more expansive, finally taking the winning run off Chris Martin. It was not the last time Smith would see his team home.Graeme Smith winces in pain as he bats with a broken hand at Sydney•PA PhotosEdgbaston, againA monumental innings. It was not of the sheer volume of his doubles in 2003, but for significance this was an epic as it steered South Africa to their first series victory in England since readmission. During the run chase it was almost one man verses a team; if, at any point, Smith had fallen England could have surged through the tail. Andrew Flintoff had produced one of his inspired Tests with the ball – especially in his confrontation with Jacques Kallis – but he could not find a way past Smith. Victory was completed late on the fourth day when Smith had the satisfaction of pulling Kevin Pietersen to deep midwicket to seal another place in history.Battling painSmith did not need to bat in this innings. South Africa had already secured their first series win in Australia with victory in Melbourne, but such was his determination not to give an inch to the home side that he walked out to try and stave them off with a broken hand. He came to the crease at No. 11 with eight overs remaining – following a 17-over partnership between Dale Steyn and Makhaya Ntini which had given South Africa a sniff – and survived 29 minutes against Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and Nathan Hauritz. Then with the second ball of what would have been the penultimate over of the match (there were five minutes remaining) Johnson located a crack on the SCG pitch and the ball jagged back through Smith’s defences.Winning runs, winning heartsNot only did this innings win one of the most extraordinary Tests in history it also helped Smith win back the support of the fans. He had not been particularly admired in the wake of another ignominious World Cup exit earlier in 2011, especially when he slipped away to Ireland to propose to his girlfriend when many thought he should have fronted up to his team’s defeat. However, midway through the third day at Cape Town he drilled Johnson down the ground to raise a chanceless century and a few moments later hit the winning run. Less than 24 hours earlier, South Africa had been skittled for 96 (of which Smith contributed 37) before Australia capitulated for an astonishing 47. In those circumstances chasing 236 looked like a huge task, yet Smith turned it into a canter.