To suggest that Graeme Smith has resurrected South Africa from the debris of their World Cup ignominy and the self-doubt over the captaincy issue is a little like saying that Sir Edmund Hillary climbed Mount Everest without Tenzing. Omar Henry, convener of South Africa’s national selection panel, is no Tenzing but his role has been just as important as that of Smith’s.

There is also a lot of mythology surrounding Smith’s ability to put big runs on the board and lead from the front through his actions. Many forget how the troops knuckled down and did the job when he failed to get the big scores at Trent Bridge, Headingley and The Oval.

The new South African captain learnt much and his complaint of the side not being ruthless enough is as valid as that of England’s captain, Michael Vaughan, who had the same complaint after losing at Leeds and South Africa went up 2-1.

Gary Kirsten and Neil McKenzie dug in and the bravado on a dodgy pitch at Headingley was remarkable. The mind games waged out in the middle were being won by the troops and not the leader.

Yet, South Africa’s revival this summer — in Bangladesh and England — has been based on this philosophy: one country, one team and one plan.

Knowing Henry’s background and his struggles as a player, coach and now selector, it is easy to see where such thinking emerged. The root cause of the problem which led to the firing of Shaun Pollock as a leader goes back to pre-unity days. There was a genuine lack of diversity within the system and selection panels had to work with what emerged from a structure which had failed to admit to major shortfalls.

It was a question of facing reality, admitting mistakes and tackling the challenges, getting rid of old, fusty ideas and developing what has emerged as a new era. Far from easy in a country such as South Africa, ridden with hidden agendas, but it had to be done if the game was to move forward.

Sure, there was a serious wobble in the limited-overs scenario, where plans and strategies failed in first Bangladesh and then England; this was understandable, though. It was a new side with a new captain. As with any gauche debutant, the steps were hesitant and the doubt needed to be replaced by a growing confidence.

Tactically, Smith was learning. From one who had doubts about his ability to read a game and withstand pressure, the way he handled it all and his transparent attitude towards his players and the media was a revelation. He even did twelfth man duties on one of the days of the game against Kent at Canterbury to show that he too can carry out the routine jobs.

Then again, England were also under new management with Vaughan taking over from Nasser Hussain at a critical juncture of the summer. Vaughan, despite his limited overs success in the NatWest Series found it was a far tougher game at Test level.

All around other sides were also emerging as contenders for attention at international level. From their World Cup low, the West Indies needed to show a form of transformation. Out went Carl Hooper and back came Brian Lara. They survived a serious mauling against Australia at home and, while the limited overs series was also won by the Aussies, the team’s makeover under Lara displayed remarkable results.

For one thing, Lara’s ability to get his run-scoring skills to flow his way when facing challenges forced the Aussies to reassess their strategies. He was more determined and the bad old habits noticeable in his first tenure as captain had been changed for something expected of a player of his class.

Pakistan, who are to host South Africa later this month, also had to go through a similar metamorphosis. They reached the final of the limited overs series in Sri Lanka against New Zealand and showed added signs of revival in England and have since been rebuilt under Rashid Latif.

What is interesting, and equally important about Smith, is that he comes from the new era — since the UCB was formed — and was not influenced by the Hansie Cronje match-fixing baggage.It was Fanie de Villiers who suggested that Smith’s appointment was the only option open to creating a new era. As he saw it, Smith, with the support of the senior players such as Kirsten, Mark Boucher and Jacques Kallis, could emerge with a team where a nation could take pride in their achievements.