SA in West Indies
Pollock backs Smith as captain
2010-05-20 14:11
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Johannesburg -Former South African cricket captain Shaun Pollock, has come out strongly in support of Proteas captain Graeme Smith.
In an interview with Cricinfo, Pollock said change for the sake of change was not clever. However, he suggested the people surrounding the captain needed to make sure they were giving him new ideas and insights.
There have been calls for Smith's head following South Africa's disappointing performance in the ICC World Twenty20 (T20) competition, which ended in Barbados on Sunday.
South Africa were knocked out in the Super Eight stage, losing to eventual winners England and to Pakistan, although they secured a thrilling last-gasp victory over New Zealand.
But South Africa had once again failed to perform at an ICC event, and angry and disappointed fans began calling for Smith to be replaced as captain.
"Who takes over?" Pollock asked. "Is there someone who can do a better job? If Graeme has had enough and wants to get out, that's a different thing. But change for the sake of change is not clever." Pollock's tenure as captain ended after South Africa bowed out of the 2003 World Cup - which they played at home - in the first round.
Smith took over the reins from Pollock, and he still holds them.
The former allrounder suggested the support structures around South Africa's captain may need attention.
"There were still goals I wanted to achieve and things I wanted to do with the team when I resigned," Pollock said. "But I remember [former captain] Hansie [Cronje], towards the end of his time as captain, saying he was running out of ideas. "The people around the captain need to make sure they are giving him different ideas. It's a collective effort, and the South African team has always worked that way."