Smith decided against forcing his right knee through two days of the Cup Match classic next week.

Smith, who has played just one match all season, realised days before that recent match against Bailey's Bay that the knee still had not fully recovered.

And when he experienced some swelling the day after the match his worst fears were about to be realised.

"It felt quite good in early July, there was no trouble at all,'' said the 33-year-old yesterday. "I tried it two weeks prior to that and it hadn't bothered me at all, but I was doing mainly batting.'' Smith said it was when he tried to participate in some fielding drills that the knee began to give him trouble again.

"It was the Wednesday before the match when I noticed it wasn't strong enough. I knew then it wasn't ready for a match but I still wanted to play.'' Exactly a week later Smith informed club officials by letter that he would not be fit enough to make his 18th straight Cup Match appearance.

He says it was not as difficult a decision as some may think, even taking into consideration that he needs just seven runs to become the first batsman in Cup Match to score 1,000.

"I just had to be honest with myself, the record is not worth injuring my knee for,'' said Smith. "It would have been a selfish thing to do it just for the record.

"After thinking about it, it would have been nice to have done it at Wellington Oval. But I'm not that disappointed, I've missed so many matches already. If it's God's will then so be it.'' Added the captain: "Maybe with a couple of days' rest the soreness would be out of it but I could possibly be damaging the knee further. Some people might have thought, `Why not go ahead and play', but I think about the standards I set for myself.

"It would have been selfish of me when there are guys who are fully fit and could contribute more.

"In a letter to the club I informed them it was a very easy decision. I realise I had to look at it in the long term. When things like climbing stairs and bending are painful I realise I had to look out for my own best interest.

I think some people think this is just a hoax.'' Smith has not written off the 1993 season completely and will play for the league team depending on how the injury is going.

"I have to give the president (Clevie Foggo) credit because he made it clear that when I was healthy I would have the (captaincy) team back,'' Smith revealed. "I thanked him for that when I gave him the letter.'' Smith, like so many other senior players in the national team set-up, knows this could be his last chance of ICC Trophy glory. For that reason his priority is Kenya 1994.

"That's one of the reasons I'm not playing Cup Match,'' he said. "I want to give myself every possible chance of recuperating so that I might be healthy for ICC.

"Playing Cup Match, especially if I were to re-injure myself, might set me back further.

"If we are ever going to make it to the World Cup this has to be the year.'' The last time Smith watched Cup Match from the sidelines was in 1975. Then, afros, bell bottoms, platform shoes and halter tops were en vogue and the final Cup Match trials were played on Thursdays.

Neville Darrell was captain of a St. George's team containing Dennis Wainwright, Philip Smith, Rupert Scotland, Sheldon Furbert, Noel Gibbons, Eldon and Lee Raynor, Lionel Thomas and colt Anthony Trott.

Wainwright scored 57 in the first innings and 34 in the second while Clarence Parfitt was at his tormenting best in taking nine wickets in the match as St.

George's won by 85 runs at Somerset.

Smith was not exactly a spectator in that match either, spending every minute of both days scoring for the ZFB broadcasting team of Joe Brown and Winston Jones and no doubt dreaming of Cup Match glory himself.

After following the same routine for spanning three decades it will be hard for Smith to leave home on the two days of Cup Match and do anything else but head for the club to prepare for the match.

"This year I intend to be a very intense spectator,'' he revealed.

"I would just like to relax and enjoy the game and be free of the burdens of playing.'' In fact, Smith will play no major part in Cup Match '93 for he has already informed the club's executives that he will step down from the selection committee to make room for his successor as captain to help choose the team, as is the tradition.

"I've always been a strong believer that the captain should have a strong say in the team he is to lead,'' said Smith. "I want to give that person the privilege of helping to select his team.'' WENDELL SMITH -- Not prepared to further damage his knee and ruin chances of playing in 1994 ICC Trophy Tournament.