No regrets over retiring at 33: former South Africa captain Graeme Smith

One of the game’s longest serving captains, former South Africa batsman Graeme Smith feels he could have continued playing for a few more years but doesn’t regret his decision to retire at the age of 33 five years ago.

Smith, who took over the captaincy of the Proteas at the age of 22, excelled both in the roles of the captain and batsman. Besides leading SA in 108 Tests, 149 ODIs and 27 T20Is, Smith also ended up as his country’s third-highest run-getter in Tests (9,253), fifth highest in ODIs (6,989) and sixth highest in T20Is (982).

Smith took over the reins from all-rounder Shaun Pollock after South Africa’s disappointing exit from the 2003 World Cup at home and he continued in the role till 2014 when he retired. His decision to hang up the boots was more because of personal reasons. He led SA in two World Cups – in 2007 and 2011 – and led his side to the semi-final once.

“I retired young, at 33 – and probably had a good couple of years left in me. I had a very full career, having captained my country since the age of 22,” Smith, 38, was quoted as saying by Rayder Media. “But 11 years in that job does certainly take its toll. Life situations weren’t simple at that stage – getting divorced and my daughter got burnt with hot water.”

“I think the whole situation I was facing was sort of mounting on me with the emotional and mental stress I was under. We had built that environment into a very successful one through time with Mickey Arthur and Gary Kirsten – and we were a very high-performing team.”

Smith speaks on Russell Domingo’s appointment as coach

The former left-handed batsman also spoke about the appointment of Russell Domingo as the coach of South Africa having influenced his decision to retire. Referring the latter as an ‘inexperienced coach’, Smith said he didn’t have the energy to start it all over again after Domingo took over.

“He was a very inexperienced coach. There were a lot of things happening that you just moved away from. It all culminated in a situation where the timing was right and I decided to walk away from the game.”

Smith scored over 17,000 runs in international cricket that he played between 2002 and 2014 and hit 37 hundreds during his stint.

Reflecting back to his playing days, Smith said he had no regrets, adding that he did manage to achieve things. He said that he felt proud over not pondering over ‘what ifs’ on a daily basis and kept remembering the ‘magnificent times’ in South African cricket.

[interaction id=”5c713b869551ce5db0447950″]

Get the latest Cricket News and updates, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.