By Paul Newman - Daily Mail
Graeme Smith, the "bumbling" novice captain turned respected statesman of world cricket, looked ahead to England's tour of South Africa and posed a fascinating question: Will the real Andrew Strauss stand up?
The battle between a South African captain who has matured into one of the game's most formidable characters and his opposite number will be one of the crucial factors in whether England can build on their Ashes success in this four-Test series.
And it is given added spice by the clash between the two captains when England surprisingly defeated South Africa in the Champions Trophy at Centurion just over a month ago.
Smith, who was fighting a lone battle in the face of rare English one-day excellence, requested a runner towards the end of his monumental 141 in a losing cause when he was struck down by cramp. But Strauss, intent on putting down a marker ahead of one of the toughest tours in cricket, was having none of it.
Smith was not amused, saying: "The world is round and that will come back on him."
It is clear now, while preparing to renew battle with Strauss, that time has not been a healer.
"No, I wasn't happy about that," said Smith. "I could have lied and said I had strained a calf or something but I had known runners to be allowed for cramp, so I just told the truth. I wanted consistency, but Strauss wouldn't have that. It was all very well people saying afterwards that it is down to the umpires, but Strauss can't pass the buck.
"He made his stance perfectly clear and it has created a bit of antipathy that he will have to deal with. There is no personal hangover but it wasn't appreciated by the South African public."
It was an example, according to Smith, of one of the nice guys of the game showing chameleon tendencies on rising to high office.
"It is clear that Strauss is trying to be a bit firmer in the field than we are used to and that's interesting," said Smith.
"It's a bit out of character from the guy we know, the well-spoken chap who is always polite to everyone, and we will have to see how that plays out. It is up to each individual how they want to go about captaincy and if he wants to be different from his natural instincts then that is up to him.
"When I first became captain, at 22, I wanted to impose myself on everybody and basically tried to be someone I'm not. When I took over, I bumbled around making a lot of mistakes and it has taken time for me to be comfortable with it."
He is certainly comfortable now. The man labelled a "muppet" by Kevin Pietersen when he first played against Smith for England is less Kermit and more the king of South African cricket.
Six years in charge have turned him from a brash upstart into a mightily impressive leader of one of the strongest sides in South African history. Victory has come against all the leading teams in the world on their own grounds.
Now Smith talks eloquently of wanting to leave a legacy of success before he hands over the captaincy, possibly after the 2011 World Cup, and that he wants someone within his side to "put their hand up" to identify himself as his successor.
But first comes England for a tour, starting with two Twenty20 matches and five One-Day Inter- nationals, which Smith says is "one of the highlights" of the calendar.
Not least because of the presence of four South African-born players, including Strauss, in the England squad.
Smith thinks of the England captain and wicketkeeper Matt Prior as "English" cricketers, while his clashes with Pietersen are well documented.
But spice has now been added by the addition of Smith's old friend and SA Under-19 team colleague Jonathan Trott, whom Michael Vaughan accuses in his new autobiography of being a little too close to his old compatriots for England's comfort.
"No, Trotty didn't celebrate with us after we defeated England at Edgbaston," insisted Smith of the accusation levelled by the former England captain. "But I did have lunch with Jonathan the day after we won the series. And why not? I've known him for a long time and it's nice to see him realise his potential.
"I appreciate the way he has handled himself. Trotty was talented enough to play for South Africa, but made his life in England and there are no hard feelings. He has never been arrogant or made stupid statements about South Africa, like some people."
Who could he possibly mean?
"Kevin has always done and said things that have made me think, 'Why did he do that?', but it's a lot less heated between us now. He has proved himself and I think there's mutual respect. I don't know how the South African people will react to these guys, but it will be up to my team to create tension around them to make it harder for them to prosper."
Central to Smith's plotting of the downfall of England will be a figure familiar to Strauss. Duncan Fletcher, the most successful coach in England's history, will be very much part of the opposing dressing room as South Africa's consultant.
"No, I haven't seen Duncan's dossier on the England players yet," smiled Smith. "But he has an intimate knowledge of many of their key men and it would be stupid of us not to take advantage of that. He is a good coach who has been very good for us."
But it's Graeme Smith who will provide the biggest barrier to England upsetting South Africa, whether or not Andrew Strauss decides to be Dr Jekyll or Mr Hyde.