Proteas Test captain, who is married to Irish singer Morgan Deane, has been granted Irish citizenship; busy dismissing rumours of quitting top-flight cricket following the development
Graeme Smith
Johannesburg: South African Test captain Graeme Smith has dismissed speculation that his being granted Irish citizenship may be a prelude to his departure from top-flight cricket any time soon.
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Smith, who is married to Irish singer Morgan Deane, has played Test cricket for South Africa since 2002 (114 caps) and averages just under 50.
The 32-year-old cricketer and Deane married in 2011 and have two children, daughter Cadence (17 months) and six-month-old son Carter.
Graeme Smith. File Pic
The couple were in the Irish capital, Dublin, recently and Morgan shared the news on Instagram along with pic of her and Graeme and his certificate with the caption: “Graeme is officially an Irish citizen as of today!”
According to Sport24, the opening batsman said on Twitter that he loves his country and would always remain a loyal South African, although he added that as half of his family is now Irish, so visiting them would become easier with dual nationality.
The report mentioned that Smith's experience and leadership for the world's No 1-ranked Test side would be invaluable in the three-Test home series against resurgent Australia from mid-February, especially after the retirement of great all-rounder Jacques Kallis.