Proteas' captain Graeme Smith declined to tell the Cape Town Press Club on Wednesday how much money he earns. "I take size thirteen shoes," he allowed.

But he did say that for a test player representing his country on a number of occasions, "it's financially great".

He was also aware that there is a great deal of betting on the outcome of cricket games. He said there is probably more betting on cricket than on any other sport, but he insisted that the "whole Hansie era" and "the stuff we had to go through" is over.

Hansie Cronje and many of his team-mates were tainted by scandal in 2000, when they were accused of accepting bribes from Indian bookmakers in return for fixing match results.

"The game is clean now," he declared. "I hope it stays that way, out of respect for the fans who pay money to watch the sport."

Smith was also asked a huge range of questions at the lunch in a Cape Town club held to publicise his just-published book, "A Captain's Diary 2007 to 2009" written with Neil Manthorp.

But he was also cautious about what he said about the current row between Cricket South Africa (CSA) and the Gauteng cricket authorities – though he did say that Gerald Majola CSA chief executive is a good friend.

"Knowing Gerald and CSA," he said, "there must be a valid reason." Noting that the Wanderers ground is the biggest cricket auditorium in the country, he added: "We hope it doesn't cost the fans the opportunity to see us."

On facing bodyline bowling, he was resolute that "it's a man's game, and bodyline has been around for a few years". He added a little ruefully about the Australian bowler Mitchell Johnson: "It was a challenge to face him."

He welcomed the arrival of the third umpire into cricket, "It's inevitable," he said. And he considered that the five-day test would be with us for a long time.

I-Net Bridge

RSS
Digg
de.li.cious
facebook
LATEST FEATURES
'Biff' opens up (c) AFP SA skipper Graeme Smith opened up about everything from earning potential to match-fixing on Wednesd
Sports greatest comebacks With Michael Schumacher poised for a comeback, we take a look at other great sporting returns.
Breaking out! Rob Peters tries his hand at sandboarding - a sport ready to break into the mainstream. [Video]