New Delhi: Former South African captain Graeme Smith has confirmed that his role with the South African cricket team is on an ad-hoc basis, but added that he is pondering a long-term engagement.
A report in ESPNcricinfo on Saturday quoted Smith as saying during commentary on the first morning of second Test against England, "There has been a request to join up with the guys and help a little bit. I am considering it, but I had made commitments before the start of this series that it's important to stick to."
"Obviously my heart will always be with the Proteas and I want to see them as successful as possible, if I can add value. But it's got to work itself out, it's not a role that's been committed to yet," the 34-year-old added.
After their 241-run defeat in the first test in Durban, where Smith had been critical of their form, South African camp requested the most successful Test captain to help them.
Yesterday, South African captain Hashim Alma said Smith would be with the team for the rest of the four-test series.
"To get Graeme on board now, Graeme being the quality cricketer that he is, fits the role perfectly. Graeme has got a good know-how about Test cricket and that's what Test cricket is about. It's about know-how, having a feel for the game and we've got a lot of youngsters that can draw on that," Amla said.
South Africa, still the top-ranked Test team in the world, has not won a match since last year's New Year fixture against the West Indies in Durban, where they have suffered a crushing 241-run defeat against England.
Main cause of their consistent failure in 2015 have been attributed to a a series of individual performances, especially by the established batsmen like skipper himself.
Smith retired as the most successful Test captain in 2014. He led South Africa in 108 Test matches, winning 53 and losing 28. And last month, he said he was contemplating whether to make an international comeback after a year in sunset.
He has commentary commitments to Test Match Special and host broadcaster SuperSport.
The second Test started today at Newlands, with England batting first after winning the toss.
