South African captain Graeme Smith will take the field on Sunday,the team management announced,but with a fractured finger. Smith hurt his finger during practice on Friday,but said earlier on Sunday that he was not too sure if he would make it to the playing XI. Later in the evening,however,teams media manager Michael Owen-Smith announced that the skipper is fit to play. An MRI confirmed a fracture and not a mere ligament injury,as it was officially announcedon Friday. There is a fracture in one joint of the little finger on my left hand. But its really about dealing with pain from that perspective, the South African skipper told reporters before venturing out for practice on Saturday. Smith didnt take to fielding drills,but warily knocked around the local spinners. He also faced a few from pacer Wayne Parnell and then tried horizontal shots off rising deliveries. His eagerness to play may be reassuring for the visitors,but the skipper knows the risk of playing with injury could either pay off or backfire. Dubious past In Smiths case,history has a warning or two. Back in 2008,he took a knock from Mitchell Johnson in the crucial third Test in Sydney. Despite a broken hand,the South Africa captain batted far lower down in the second innings in a bid to help save the match,but the effort went in vain in a humdinger. The injury that Smith aggravated by keeping himself in action forced him out of the subsequent one-day series as well. Earlier that year,Smith suffered a tennis elbow in the inaugural edition of the IPL,eventually missing three key ODIs against England . Those closely following Smiths career reckon that he delayed the surgery and his performance suffered. Smiths tryst with injury has seen it happen here in Kolkata as well. In 2004,he injured his foot in a freak accident outside the team hotel when a car pulling up ran into him. He played the Test with a bandaged foot and came up with the scores of 0 and 71. Try telling the South African captain to be wary of taking such a risk by playing with injury again,but he would have none of it. The big question is whether you will be able to contribute and give your best to the team. Thats the question you need to answer especially as a leader, says Smith.
