Graeme Smith to overtake Border's record

Lord's – the spiritual home of cricket – has seen many, many landmarks, and plenty of these have been etched onto the honor's board at the hallowed venue. On Thursday, when the toss between the captains of the English and South African teams gets underway, Lord's will bare witness to another landmark – that of the most-capped Test captain in the game's history. That honor will go to Graeme Craig Smith, a 31-year old who has captained his country since the age of 22 and who has been credited with, more than the 8277 runs he has scored in Test cricket, instilling in the South African teama sense of belief, on and off the field, which has now carried them to the doorstep of the ICC's No. 1 ranking. Smith – who played his 100th match in the victory at The Oval – will captain South Africa for the 94th time, going pastAustralia's Allan Border as the player to have led his country the most times. His success rate is 46.23, higher than Border's 34.40. He has led his country to Test series wins in Australia, England, Pakistan, New Zealand the West Indies (twice) and Bangladesh (twice). At home, he has presided over series winsagainst India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, New Zealand (twice), West Indies (twice), Zimbabwe and Bangladesh. Smith is not just South Africa's most successful Test captain, he is a national icon. He was thereason they rose to the No. 1 spot in 2008, and he is the man looming over England as the South Africans stand poised to snatch back thetitle. He is a born leader, a guts-and-glory cricketer who has fashioned a formidable career through grit and determination. He is not just physically intimidating, but robust as a tactician and leader. He is uncompromising, bullish and does not shirk responsibility. South Africa isn't an easy team to captain, but Smith has done the job for over nine years with determination and little fuss, all the while playinga big role in South African Test victories with the bat. He averages 59.15 in Test wins on South African soil, including seven centuries, but the more significant stat to note is Smith's record away from home in wins. Of his total career runs, 2075 have come in overseas victories at an average of 74.10 and with eight centuries. These include the monumental 259 at Lord's in 2003, the unbeaten 125 to square the series in Wellington in 2004, the epic 154 notout at Edgbaston in 2008that sealed South Africa'sfirst series win in England since 1965, and the unforgettable 109 that kick-started a historic run-chase against Australia in Perthlater that year.