Smith’s retirement ushers in new era for South Africa

South African captain Graeme Smith salutes the crowd after playing his last Test match. (AFP)Reuters/Cape TownHe was seen as a brash, arrogant and aloof South African but no one can dispute the impact Graeme Smith had on the world stage as he became the most successful captain in Test history. Smith’s decision to retire from international cricket just nine weeks after Jacques Kallis quit will usher in a new era for South African cricket, which now finds itself shorn of experience and potentially in a leadership crisis. The 33-year-old’s runs at the top of the order will be missed but so too will his strength of character and grit in times of adversity.  He has, in many ways, been the face of South African cricket over the last decade and played a key role in taking the side to the number one position in the Test rankings. Thrust into the captaincy role at the age of 22 following the resignation of Shaun Pollock after South Africa’s miserable first round exit at the 2003 World Cup on home soil, Smith admitted it took him four or five years to settle into the job. While many South African cricket fans have struggled to warm to him, few would argue that he deserves a place among the game’s greats as he has won a record 53 Tests as captain, many of those thanks to his own prowess with the bat. Never the most elegant to watch, he bludgeoned his way to 27 Test centuries, five of them double-hundreds, the last of which came less than five months ago against Pakistan in Dubai. It has been his ability to grind out fourth innings runs, something that he could not do again in his final, ongoing, Test in Cape Town, that has made him so well respected in the international game. He led his side to two series wins in Australia and a triumph in England in 2012 that took the team to the summit of world cricket.  Makes inglorious exit after swift dismissal However, in his final hurrah made a inglorious exit. The Australia players gave him a guard of honour and an expectant Newlands crowd willed him to a century send-off, but the South Africa captain lasted just three balls in his final Test innings. Set 511 for victory, Smith in his pomp would have been the perfect anchor for the innings, whether it be to chase the runs down or play out for the draw. But he looked tentative and uncertain at the crease during his brief stay, the brash confidence of the past a distant memory.  When Mitchell Johnson arrowed a delivery into his body, all Smith could do was fend it to short leg where Alex Doolan completed the simplest of catches. The crowd groaned because this was not the finish they had wanted, but, in truth, it was not a surprise after Smith had scored just 42 runs in five previous innings in the series. He left the ground to a standing ovation, lifting his bat to the VIP suites where his family sat before trudging off with shoulders hunched. Despite facing the possibility of a series defeat to Australia in his final Test match, he leaves the side at the very top of the game. Smith had spoken in the build-up to the third Test of still having the passion and desire for international cricket, of wanting to achieve more with this team. A fifth batting failure in as many innings in the series may have led to him re-evaluating his future plans - the stark reality for South Africa is that they are now not just looking for a new opening batsman who can average close to 50 in Test cricket but also a new leader. There have only been a handful of regular captains of the national side since readmission to international cricket in 1991 - Kepler Wessels, Hansie Cronje, Pollock and Smith.  Choosing the right man to be number five on that list will be crucial. One-day skipper AB de Villiers has been groomed for the Test role and is likely take on the job but it is a big task for a player who at times has been the mainstay of the batting and also acts as wicketkeeper.  But in truth there are no other solid candidates.Most difficult decision: Smith  Smith had said only on Friday that he still had things to achieve in international cricket. However, after another batting failure in the present series, he decided it was time to call it a day and told his teammates of his decision.   “This has been the most difficult decision I have ever had to make in my life. It’s a decision that I have been considering since my ankle surgery in April last year. I have a young family to consider, and I felt that retiring at Newlands would be the best way to end it because I have called this place home since I was 18 years old.”    Smith captained South Africa in 108 Test matches, including the present match, over 11 years. He also captained a World XI against Australia in Sydney in 2005. His total of 109 Test captaincies is 16 more than the previous record held by Allan Border of Australia. He has captained South Africa to 53 wins, beating Australian Ricky Ponting’s record of 48 wins as a Test captain. Under his leadership, South Africa lost 27 matches and drew 27, excluding the current Test. SMITH Fact Box* Born Feb. 1, 1981 in Johannesburg       Early Career Promising schoolboy cricketer at King Edward School in Johannesburg, picked for South Africa’s under-19 team. Left-handed opener, who played his initial first-class cricket for Gauteng but soon moved to Cape Town at the age of 18 to play for Western Province.      Test Achievements n Test debut against Australia in 2002 at Newlands, one month after his 21st birthday. Scored 68 in the second innings, batting No. 3, but South Africa lost. * Took over as captain in his ninth Test, with many sceptical about his leadership ability at age of 22. * He won his first Test as captain against Bangladesh by an innings and 60 runs. * Smith made double centuries in consecutive Tests - 277 at Edgbaston and 259 at Lords - on tour in England in 2003. * His games as captain are 108 for South Africa and one for the ICC World XI against Australia in October 2005. * Set a world record 415 for the first wicket with Neil McKenzie against Bangladesh at Chittagong in early 2008. They had finished day one with 405 runs, the most ever put on by a pair in a single day of Test cricket without losing a wicket. * Led South Africa to an away Test series win over Australia in 2008 - their first home loss in almost two decades. His heroics in batting despite a broken hand in an attempt to save the third Test won over many fans. * Smith has led his side to 53 Test victories, with a win percentage of 49.07. It is the most victories for a captain in Test history. * Wanted to relinquish the captaincy after the 2011 World Cup in India, where he took the rap for the team’s brittle middle order, but was persuaded to stay on as Test skipper by coach and former teammate Gary Kirsten. * Led South Africa to Test series wins over England and Australia in 2012 to confirm the country’s status as the top Test-playing nation. * In his Test career, has scored 9,265 runs in 117 Tests at an average of 48.49. It includes 27 centuries. He also took eight wickets in Tests with his off breaks.