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South African skipper Graeme Smith has been totally outplayed by his Australian counterpart Michael Clarke in the current series.
Smith has scored just 42 runs in five digs this eeries, and a combination of these two negatives would have played no small part in his shock decision to retire.
Smith will play his last dig some time tonight, having told his teammates overnight he’s retiring from all international cricket.
South Africa is really feeling the pinch having lost brilliant all-rounder Jacques Kallis to Test retirement at the end of last year, and that loss will be magnified when Smith hangs up his pads tomorrow night.
The stats tell the story of South Africa’s two most successful batsmen.
Jacques Kallis
Tests: 166
Runs: 13,289
Highest score: 224
Average: 5.37
Test 100s: 47
Test 50s: 58
Graeme Smith (prior to final innings)
Tests: 117
Runs: 9262
Highest score: 277
Average:48.49
Test 100s: 27
Tests 50s: 38
Both Kallis and Smith have been a credit to international cricket and their country.
We haven’t seen the last of Kallis as a limited-overs rep – he’s wanting to play in next year’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
But for Smith, his future will be with Surrey in county cricket as a non-overseas player due to his Irish citizenship.
For his last 110 Tests, Smith has captained the Proteas. At 22 he was the youngest ever South African skipper.
Now 33, he has led his side to the No. 1 Test ranking by being a solid launching pad at the top of the order.
That’s why it is so out of context that in his five digs this series he’s scored a mere 10, 4, 9, 14, and 5.
Could Graeme Smith be the thorn in Australia’s march to a series win?
He’s a proven performer, and with South Africa under the pump it would be a fitting way to say farewell – with a big hundred on the very ground where he debuted in March 2002, against Australia.
Don’t bet against it.