The 2008/2009 season was a great one for South African cricket fans. Not only did the Proteas finally manage to thrash the Aussies on their own turf, but they also claimed the number one spot on the ODI rankings table.

Graeme Smith ? who has captained the Proteas since 2003 ? provides his account of the build-up to that legendary tour of Australia in a diary form, accompanied by colour photographs.

Reviewing books written by sportspeople is always a tricky task. Writing is not their profession and often thoughts become muddled or the writing is just plain awful ? and quite often the book turns into pure narcissism. Not so with Graeme Smith. The book has been carefully edited and the writing is clear, concise and fluid. As an added bonus, 'A Captain's Diary' is carefully organised into chapters according to the date of the series and its format ? so you could quite easily flick between chapters.

It's all in here ? the training, the injuries, the decisions, the controversies and the games themselves.

From the controversial dropping of Shaun Pollock during the Pakistan tour of 2007 to the mind games professional cricketers play with the media, Smith reveals as much as he dares (although not half as much as I suspect he could). It is a fantastic insight to exactly what was going on inside the captain's head through the 18-month period.

As much as I enjoyed reading 'A Captain's Diary' (I managed to finish it quite quickly, to my surprise) I found that the whole thing felt a bit rushed. The book skims over some fantastic moments that I would have loved to read more on ? the pranks the team plays on each other, and even Graeme Smith's layoff after having his hands injured on separate occasions ? things that haven't been discussed at length in post-match interviews or reported on by the commentators. I guess I was looking for a more 'human' aspect to the book.

When I first began reading, I thought 'A Captain's Diary' would have had more of an autobiographical style ? but instead it comes across more as a walkthrough. Which isn't the worst thing in the world ? nobody really wants to spend 300 pages wading through a sportsman's whining. But there are some great moments where the team's emotions and tensions are revealed that are quickly swept away as we're moved to the next tour, the next match, the next conference.

The colour photographs are also a fantastic addition. They are a nice mix of behind-the-scenes snapshots and the professional shots taken on the pitch. The photographs are also accompanied by captions written by Graeme and provide a richness to the book, while revealing some of the true characters of the side. (My personal favourite must be Neil McKenzie wearing a Castle box as a crown.)

In all, 'A Captain's Diary' is definitely a collector's item and one for the fans. To be completely fair, if you're not cricket mad (or overly fond of Graeme Smith) this probably isn't the book for you. But it is a worthwhile read and a fantastic effort from Smith.

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