Written by: Associated Press
2 min readJohannesburgAug 19, 2010 01:05 AM IST
First published on: Aug 19, 2010 at 01:05 AM IST
Graeme Smith quit as captain of South Africas Twenty20 team with immediate effect on Wednesday,and said he will step down as skipper of the one-day team after the 2011 World Cup. He will remain as the Proteas Test captain.
The 29-year-old Smith read from a pre-prepared statement at a media briefing at a Johannesburg hotel near the Wanderers cricket ground. There are several reasons why I have made this important career decision, Smith said. I am going into my ninth season of international cricket – eight as captain. It is my intention to play for another five or six years and I know in my heart that I can only do that if I give up some of my current responsibilities. He said he was making the decision now to ensure smooth transition.
The left-handed opening batsman,who was appointed captain in 2003 at a remarkable 22,added he remained passionate about the captaincy of South Africa and would continue to lead the Test team with pride. He said he would still be available for selection in all formats of the game.
De Villers,Botha in contention
Cricket South Africa chief executive Gerald Majola said CSA had a few players they had been looking at as possible replacements and would make a new appointment within a month. Smith added he would offer advice to South Africa cricket bosses as to who he thought his successor should be but declined to say publicly who he favoured as the new T20 and ODI captain. Johan Botha,who has led the team in Smiths absence,and batsman AB de Villiers are considered front-runners.
Smith said the decision to give up his captaincy was not easy. Someone said to me the other day that I had been captain of South Africa through my whole 20s and that came as a shock to me, Smith said,smiling. I hadnt thought about it. Making the decision was never easy. Its been such a large part of my life,but in many ways Im at peace with it.
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