<p><strong>Graeme Smith hopes to improve ODI stats - Cricket News Update</strong></p>
<p>South African Test Captain, Graeme Smith, hopes to improve his ODI statistics once the team starts their season, after a break of six months.</p>
<p>The left-hander stepped down as the ODI captain after a disappointing World Cup 2011 campaign, where the Proteas were knocked out by New Zealand.</p>
<p>However, he is available for selection for the limited over games and believes that injuries, coupled with the pressure of captaincy, has somewhat held back his batting in recent years. </p>
<p>"Injuries, combined with the pressures of captaincy, may have inhibited my batting," he said.</p>
<p>“I know that I've never been the most elegant batter, but I've always had self-belief. I need to build up some confidence."</p>
<p>Smith also spoke about his team's below par performance in the World Cup, but looks forward to the upcoming season, which sees them lock horns with the likes of Australia and Sri Lanka.</p>
<p>"The World Cup was one of the darkest places I have been in my career," he said. "I've had some time to press the reset button and I'm looking forward to the new season." "After being captain in all three formats, I can now focus on myself. It's going to
be a big season for me."</p>
<p>The left-hander is currently nursing a knee injury, which he suffered in April during his stint with Pune Warriors in the Indian Premier League. This will keep him out of the Champions League T20 but he will be able to recover in time for the first T20,
when they entertain the Kangaroos.</p>
<p>Before that, the player has had a stop start limited overs career, which saw him last scoring a century in 2009 against England. Apart from the knee injury, Smith also had a horrific hand injury in 2008, which kept him out of action for quite some time.</p>
<p>In the 172 matches played so far in his career, the 30-year-old has scored 6280 runs at an average of 39.25, with an impressive strike rate of over 80.</p>
<p>Smith was the youngest to skipper South Africa, at the age of 22. After him stepping down, AB de Villiers has taken charge of the Proteas.</p>
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