Graeme Smith hints at possible comeback after Test series debacle

Smith retired from Tests in 2014

South Africa suffered a crushing test series defeat at the hands of India in the recently concluded Freedom series. Former test captain Graeme Smith has hinted of making a comeback into the international stage after seeing South Africa surrender in the final test at New Delhi.

Smith, will be seen playing in the Masters Champions League (MCL) for the Virgo Super Kings franchise and the thought of putting his pads back on for South Africa is a thought that has crossed his mind.

“Who knows the MCL could be a platform back into the international game,” Smith told ‘The National’ newspaper. “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.”

“For me, I’m at the cusp of whether I should play international cricket again or not,” he said. “I’m 34 now, (I) retired at 33, there’s always that question mark of whether I can play for another 3-4 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,” the 34-year-old, who retired last year, said.

Smith had earlier warned the South African's that the four match Test series against India would be a “tough“ affair and he was “nervous” ahead of the tour. South Africa had not lost an away series since 2006, and Smith believes that Hashim Amla’s men took the four match test series for granted.

“I think we just got a little bit in our own way in this series. When you play on tough wickets, whether it’s green, seamy wickets or spinning wickets, margins become very small and we lost out on those margins always early on in the Tests and were always playing catch-up.

“It looked like we just got in our own head a little bit in terms of the wickets. Yes they were tough, both teams had to play on the same surface,” he said.

Although Amla did not fare well at all in the series, Smith was all praise for the current South Africa Test captain saying that the criticism towards him has been too harsh.

“Look I’ve got a huge amount of respect for Hashim Amla. He’s had a tough run, we’ve all had those tough runs. He’s a man of immense character and well-respected in the environment.

“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. 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,” Smith said.