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by Srian Obeyesekere

He is young handsome and sounds exciting and dynamic. And he talks of a new South Africa as he steps onto Sri Lankan soil.

South African cricket captain Graeme Smith (L) addresses a press conference while the team coach Eric Simmons (L) looks on in Colombo, 28 July 2004 at the launch of his country’s tour of Sri Lanka. During the conference Smith said he was looking forward to the challenge of playing in the country and was aware of the need to perform well in order to preserve their world number two ranking. AFP PHOTO

And as he extols on his cricketing dream of taking South African cricket to a new high, the stepping stone cannot be better.

It is cricket at its feverish best in this island nation as Graeme Smith leads a rather new look side here. The Asia Cup limited overs tournament it is that has lent to it.

It is Tuesday night July 28 and a large banner that reads - 'Asia Cup Fever' catches the imagination at the entrance to Taj Hotel as Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, clad in smart evening wear trudges out with more than a dozen of starry eyed kids. Cricket's ever endearing fascination knitting the heroes with their admirers.

While Ganguly has time for the kids out for a treat, there's the new South African captain waxing eloquent of his 'new' South Africa. Of a South Africa that cannot be second or third in world cricket.

He is only 23 years old, but ideally reminiscent of a chip of the old block. Of a left-handed genre when the likes of Graeme Pollock so many generations ago held sway. If Pollock epitomed a batting tribe of a great era which yet was in limbo for South Africa's apartheid related isolation from the rest of the world, here's a bloke who is looking to redeem lost glory like a whiz kid.

For bat artistry, Smith is hard hitting a batsman that left-handers can be. Underscored by two double tons - 277 vs. England at Edgbaston in the first Test, and a record 259 in the second Test at Lords which is the highest by a foreigner at the citadel of cricket in 2003.

And Smith reasons, "Australia is no. 1 and rich in it for a number of years." But, he stresses, "South Africa's challenge is to push them (Australia) and to push ourselves to no. 1. We don't want to be no. 2 or 3 or 4." And Smith says, "For a start, I'd like to beat Sri lanka in the first Test at Galle." To a question by the 'Sunday Observer' the South African Skipper, elaborates that what he is looking at is the restoration of a 'new chapter' from the glorified to the dark era of long time captain, Hansie Cronje which would see South Africa 'right at the top.'

"We need to work as a team. Our cricket started to drop, and has started to work its way back. In any country wherever we play we want to win to get to the No. 1 position. I took the job to do something great and be part of something great, and look forward to an exciting couple of months in guiding South Africa," Smith extols.

But much as the captain from that land of cricketing greats, who took over the reins but a few summers ago from the late Cronje's successor, Shaun Pollock, looks at Sri Lanka as his launching pad towards his 'new', he says that to win in the sub-continent meant playing and winning in scorching heat which 'we would need to acclimatise to as well in India which is the next leg of our tour before September's ICC Mini World Cup in England.'

"We want to get results in Sri Lanka. It is a massive challenge playing in the heat, but we are looking forward to it. But we need to work on a couple of things before going to India," said Smith who elaborated that the team was in training where 'we could tune to win in the sub-continent.'

Of course, Smith will enjoy the morale boost of South Africa having come top when they last toured Sri Lanka in 2002 winning both the Test and one-day series. And certainly he carries an 'old tonic' in the likes of the seasoned Jacques Kallis, Lance Klusener, Pollock, Nicky Boje, Mark Boucher, Makhaya Ntini and Boeta Dippenaar. The symbols of his 'new' being batsmen Jacques Rudolph, Martin van Jaarveld, Andrew Puttick and Jean-Paul Duminy.

But to kick start his 'dream world', Smith will have to defeat a re-junuvated Sri Lankan side which is being led by as much an imaginative captain in batsman, Marvan Atapattu who at the media confab themed positive as to leading his country to reverse fortunes against the strong South Africans in the Janashakthi sponsored home series.

The squads:

Sri Lanka - M. Atapattu (capt), M. Jayawardene, C. Vaas, S. Jayasuriya, S. Jayantha, K. Sangakkara, T. Kandamby, M. Muralitharan, T. Dilshan, U. Chandana, N. Zoysa, D. Fernando, F. Maharoof, L. Malinga, R. Herath.

South Africa - Grame Smith (capt), M. Boucher, N. Boje, B. Dippenaar, N. Hayward, J. Kallis, L. Klusener, M. Ntini, A. Nel, R. Peterson, E. Simons, S. Pollock, J. Tudolph, M. van Jaarsveld, A. Puttick, J. P. Dumiy, A. Dawson.

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