Friday, 2nd February 2007 at 8:16 am

Long in the tooth

Seven years ago, HD Ackerman (then Western Province cricket captain) arrived in my radio studio with a gangly, slightly quiet teenager in tow, for what said teenager thought was his first radio interview in Cape Town. Instead, he found himself faced with Springbok prop forward Robbie Kempson, a large volume of Mitchell’s ale, and an impromptu on-air beer drinking contest…

He might have lost that particular challenge (Kempson ate the bottles as well, if memory serves), but Graeme Smith hasn’t come off second best in many challenges since. He seems to have been around for years, and yet Thursday was just his 26th birthday (an event celebrated with a cricket-themed cake, which, contrary to scurrilous rumour, he didn’t eat all by him himself - Jacques Kallis helped him…).

Which means Smith could conceivably have another decade at the helm, lining him up as possibly one of cricket’s most enduring generals. He’s already got a decent spell as skipper under his belt, but he won’t be in any mood to quit just yet - and a successful sojourn in the Caribbean should further entrench a man who, for now, doesn’t appear to have any genuine rivals for the job. Before the World Cup, though, there’s Smith’s birthday party, with everyone welcome at the Wanderers for a floodlight thrash on Friday night in the Pro20 international. Enjoy it; and a very happy birthday, Mr. Smith.