ICC World Twenty20 - Villain of the day: Graeme Smith's cool head

It's a cliche to say that the best sporting contests are between opposites: Ali, the boxer vs Frazier, the brawler; Borg, the iceman vs McEnroe, the hothead; and, perhaps, Bangladesh, the romantics vs South Africa, the pragmatists. To the uninitiated, it barely looks a contest at all - the Bangla Boys are young (but look even younger) and slight of stature, whereas the Saffers (as usual) look older than their years and tower above their opponents. But cricket isn't rugby.

We saw exactly what damage the Davids could inflict on the Goliaths at the start of the match. With nothing riding on the result, the Bangla Boys went berserk from the gun. The runs per over reads: 8, 16, 15, 15 to see the scoreboard showing the Bangla boys 54 runs to the good after four overs! But Graeme Smith had kept his head amidst the carnage, as had his bowlers, who (it seems incredible to relate) had taken four wickets in those same 24 deliveries.

From then on, the Saffers, led by their as yet imperturbable captain, bowled in "good areas" then batted aggressively when needed to seal the win and their captain's (slightly tongue in cheek) Villain of the Day award. But some time soon, the Bangla assault won't be accompanied by the clatter of wickets, the fielding side will panic, and these wiry batsmen, mixing superb cricket shots with hideous hoicks, will keep that scoreboard going and post a total beyond the reach of any cricketing nation.

[The Tooting Trumpet] [Image: Getty]