Kallis admits was 'little taken aback' at Smith's retirement announcement

Former South African all-rounder Jacques Kallis has expressed his surprise at the retirement announcement by Test captain Graeme Smith, saying that he was a 'little taken aback' by Smith's mid-Test announcement of his retirement from international cricket.

Kallis, who has only been out of the Test arena himself for a few weeks after his own decision to step down during the India series, has been friends and teammates with Smith for many years.

According to Sport24, Kallis said that although he knew that Smith was nearing his retirement, he did not realise that the captain was that close to announcing it, adding that he must have spent a lot of time thinking about his decision as it is a difficult call to make when cricket has been one's livelihood for so long.

Kallis further said that Smith's family must have played a big part in his decision, adding that there is a lot of pressure that comes with being a captain.

Stating that it is a 'shock to the system' when a player like Smith makes such an announcement, Kallis further said that such decisions just strike one suddenly without warning, adding that the same happened with when he retired.