Although Tsolekile, who has subsequently been banned for 12 years for his role in a match-fixing scandal in a domestic competition, was in the squad as a reserve wicketkeeper, the gloves were handed to leading batsman AB de Villiers. He said Australia's Steve Waugh was an example of a highly regarded captain who had his detractors from former team-mates. Smith cited Shaun Pollock and Lance Klusener as two leading players who were dropped from the team before they were ready to retire.
Smith added that he personally was "gutted" when he was not selected for the World Cup — he eventually came into the squad as an injury replacement — and again later in his career when he was dropped from the one-day side. And that has always been the crux of the decisions made in my time.
He said the decision to pick De Villiers ahead of Tsolekile in was made by "a whole panel of selectors" and that then-coach Gary Kirsten had told Tsolekile he was reserve to De Villiers following Boucher's injury. In recent weeks, a group of former black players and coaches have criticised events in South African cricket, including the appointment of Boucher as national coach ahead of black coaches who have stronger formal coaching credentials.
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I have a young family to consider, and I felt that retiring at Newlands would be the best way to end it because I have called this place home since I was 18 years-old. Indeed, it has been 11 years since a muscular year-old was handed the reigns of his nation's Test side and charged with the responsibility of restoring South Africa's faith in the integrity of the game after Hansie Cronje.
In that time, the burly left-hander has led his side a record times, steering South Africa to the capture of 53 Test victories—also a record. Under Smith, South Africa have upheld the notion that a cricket team is merely an extension of their captain; the aggression and self-assured strut of recent Proteas outfits reflective of the skipper's manner. During his tenure, South Africa claimed a series victory in England for the first time in 43 years, inflicted a home defeat to Australia for the first time in 16 years and rose to become the world's dominant team in the Test arena.
The longevity of Smith's leadership must be admired, particularly after being named as South Africa's youngest ever captain with just eight matches to his name in However, absolute values are rather frivolous when it comes to comparisons, the relative figures instead provide a clearer insight into Smith's success at the helm of his nation.
Again, however, such statistics can be misleading. For instance, Mark Taylor is widely recognised as a finer captain and on-field leader than Ricky Ponting, but in a comparative sense, the numbers suggest otherwise. Smith's predecessor, Shaun Pollock, also owns a deceptive winning record as captain.
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