Brash Smith has stood tall

At 22 years of age, South Africa's captain Graeme Smith is six years younger than Michael Vaughan, England's newly-appointed Test captain.

However, a sign of his burgeoning confidence following his outstanding Test at Edgbaston was evident when Smith gave his reaction to Nasser Hussain's resignation.

"It's very hard for England to come up with a decent replacement with back-to-back Tests, so I suppose Michael Vaughan will step in," he said.

Vaughan will take note, and if he needs any further pointers about the rather abrasive character of his opposite number, I can tell him that Smith is a man who has always spoken his mind.

When Omar Henry, the South African chairman of selectors, broke the news to Smith that he was not in the World Cup squad, Smith squared up to him and told him he had just made the biggest mistake of his life. Next day he scored 150 against Pakistan.

Suitably impressed, Henry knew exactly whom he wanted as captain when Shaun Pollock was sacked. "There's no rush, go away and think about it for a few days," he said to Smith!