Kirsten hails 'retired' Smith as 'best captain ever in Test cricket'

Former South African coach Gary Kirsten has hailed retired Test captain Graeme Smith, saying that Smith is the 'greatest captain ever' in Test cricket.

Smith made the shock announcement of his retirement on Monday during the last Test against Australia at Newlands, which the visitors won by 245 runs to claim a 2-1 series victory.

According to Sport24, Kirsten, who played his final four Test series under a 22-year-old Smith before coaching him in later years, said Smith is likely the best Test skipper ever in the history of the game.

Kirsten further said that he does not think any other captain in the world has led his team as long as Smith has done, adding that Smith has taken South Africa to great heights and with the kind of success that he had as captain, he deserves the tag of the 'best captain that has ever lived'.

Smith, who ended a career of 117 Tests and 107 as captain of South Africa, scored 9, 265 runs, 27 centuries and 38 half-centuries at an average of just under 49 with a highest score of 277 against England in Birmingham in 2003.

South Africa's series loss was their first since 2009 and they still sit comfortably atop the ICC Test rankings, the report added.