Captain ‘Biff’ becomes coach ‘Biff’ for Benoni Zalmi

Graeme Smith admits the Benoni Zalmi are getting themselves a rookie coach, but believes he can add value to the T20 Global League franchise thanks to his extensive experience all over the world.

As predicted, the Proteas’ most decorated captain was confirmed as the head coach of the Benoni franchise on Monday.

Also read: Ditched Russell Domingo won’t be out of a job for long

He will team up with Highveld Lions coach Geoff Toyana, who has been named as his assistant.

“I haven’t really considered coaching as a long-term option and I was trying to find the right time to move into it. I needed time to refresh first and stabilise my kids and family. But the game of cricket is always in you and I know I have got some quality to offer. After 11 years as captain of South Africa and various other leadership roles, I’ve probably seen it all on a cricket field,” said Smith.

“Being a South African league and the way Javed Afridi (Zalmi owner) and Mohammad Akram (Zalmi director of cricket) have invested themselves behind the scenes and off the field, that’s really of interest to me and this opportunity really feels right. And it’s fantastic to have Geoff alongside me. He’s on the ground coaching in South Africa, he’s been integral in developing talent and he sees the players coming through at domestic level.”

Having impressed as a forthright commentator as he tried his hand at broadcasting while South Africa were in England from May to August, Smith will now channel his attentions this week on picking the squad for Benoni.

The player draft takes place in Cape Town on Sunday.

“This week is about putting the team together, deciding on the type of players we need, for myself, Geoff and Mo. I played in a number of T20 leagues around the world and I won tournaments with Somerset and in the first IPL with the Rajasthan Royals. I’ve seen what is successful.

“But it’s about bringing a team together in a short period of time, getting that environment together. But we’re only picking seventh in round one of the draft, so your strategy changes depending on who you can’t get. Having Quinton de Kock as our marquee player dictates to an extent who we go for.

“And hopefully we can develop one or two rookies, we’ve seen that the younger guys play a huge part in whether you’re successful or not,” Smith said.

For more sport your way, follow The Citizen on Facebook and Twitter.