We should be close to winning titles - Smith

South African cricket captain Graeme Smith is convinced that his team can take a major title in the next year but their watchwords must be tactical alacrity and guarding against complacency.

Smith, named South Africa's cricketer of the year at a ceremony in Johannesburg on Tuesday night, said the Proteas must ensure they hit the ground running in the Champions trophy starting in South Africa in September. The other big limited-overs event ahead is the World Twenty20 in the Caribbean in the first half of 2010.

"The Champions Trophy is pretty much a knockout competition from the word go. You have to perform from the start; you can't feel your way through it," said Smith. "The two semi-finals I have played in, we lost to the better team, but now that we really have belief in the side we should be close to winning if not winning titles."

In June South Africa faltered against eventual winners Pakistan in the semi-finals of the World Twenty20 in England, but Smith believes the team has the right blend of experience and youth to land a major win.

"We are talented and the coaching staff is always pushing us to achieve more," he said. "We must never become satisfied with where we are, though."

With several of the national team players taking a two-month break now after a hard season, Smith suggested that camps ahead of the Champions Trophy would be crucial to get the squad game-ready.

He himself is recovering from surgery last week to cure tennis elbow in his right arm.

"The problem has been sorted out but the hard part about this injury is the rehab," he said. Doctors estimate that it will be about eight weeks before Smith can start shadow batting.

Smith also won the Test cricketer of the year award. The awards were for performances from May 1, 2008, to April 30, 2009.

"Knowing it would be a massive season for me as a captain and an opening batsman, to be rewarded for achievements after a good year is a wonderful feeling," he said. "It's great to see young players like JP Duminy and Roelof van der Merwe get rewards too. They have a lot of enthusiasm and great skills. I remember their nerves on debut, but now they are enjoying reaping the rewards."

Another activity on Smith's to-do list is the release of a book, which he describes as a "captain's diary", this month.

The book will cover the period in which the Proteas recorded away Test series victories against England (2008) and Australia (2008/09).

He commented that the highlight of the last year had been those successes, which had been "two huge moments in SA sporting history".

The way players had grown and had handled good and bad moments had been impressive, Smith said.

This had been epitomised by the way Duminy and AB de Villiers had performed in the Perth Test against Australia in December, under enormous pressure. "They performed to levels of players who have been around for 10 years."

Van der Merwe edged out Wayne Parnell and Lonwabo Tsotsobe in the newcomer of the year category, while Duminy picked up three awards and De Villiers two.

Duminy, brilliant in Australia after making his Test debut in place of injured Ashwell Prince, pipped his captain to win the national team's players' player of the year award.

The stylish left-hander said this was the one of his awards which meant the most to him.

"It's nice to know your peers think that highly of you and your achievements. I thought Graeme would take it, seeing he's led the team to big victories," Duminy added.