“I’m at the cusp of whether I should play international cricket again or not”
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Former South Africa captain Graeme Smith has revealed that he is considering coming out of retirement and making his international comeback.
Smith is currently preparing to play for the Virgo Super Kings in the Masters Champions League (MCL) and reports suggest that he will prepare for the inaugural edition of the tournament by training with the Proteas team, who are getting ready to face England on home soil.
“For me, I’m at the cusp of whether I should play international cricket again or not,” he told the National. “I’m 34 now, retired at 33, there’s always that question mark of whether I can play for another three-four years. I know I can. But, it’s just about … I’m at the cusp. I’m looking forward to the MCL and take it from there.”
Smith retired from international cricket after the third Test against Australia in March last year, which was played at Newlands, his home ground.
At that time, Smith attributed his decision to retire on a host of reasons, which included the fact that many senior players had called it a day and the fact that he wanted to spend more time with his family.
However, after venturing into the corporate sector, serving as the tournament director for the Ram Slam T20 and commentating, Smith revealed that a return to international cricket is not out of the question.
“Who knows the MCL could be a platform back into the international game?” he told ARY TV. “I get asked this question a lot. It does spend time in your head, especially when you see the boys struggling in India you think you can contribute, but we’ll see. I’ll go back train, prepare and get ready for the MCL.”
Meanwhile, Smith is confident that South Africa will bounce back from their 3-0 loss to India, which marked the end of their nine-year undefeated streak away from home.
“It’s put us under a little bit of pressure for the end of the year. England’s a big tour back in South Africa, four Tests, so the guys need to go back home,” he said. “They’ve been in India for a very long time, they need to have a bit of fun for a week, see their families, relax, catch their breath, because four Tests against England will be very exciting now.”
Smith also revealed that he is looking forward to watching Hashim Amla in action against England as the Proteas skipper struggled during the Test series in India, scoring 118 runs at an average of 16.85.
“He needs time, it’s his first challenge as a captain now and how he bounces back from this will speak volumes for him and the team,” he said. “I think we need to always give him that opportunity now to bounce back and how he brings the guys through. This England tour now becomes an important challenge for him as a leader.”