South African captain Graeme Smith has said that he felt like a rookie player again going into the team's tour to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to play Pakistan after being out of the game for six months with an ankle injury.
Smith has played 110 test matches for the Proteas and holds the world record for the most five-day matches as captain, which is 102.
According to Sport24, however, the Test skipper admitted that he is nervous ahead of the series against Pakistan, saying that he feels like he is going on his first tour, although the difference is that he has a lot of experience now.
Stating that it felt surreal to be back in the team, Smith also said that he is nervous as he had played cricket for a long time and will need to maximize preparation with just one warm-up match before the first Test, although he admitted that it was going to be a long road back when he went into surgery almost six months ago.
Smith further said that he had a hard couple of months on crutches, adding that he needs to make the most of the next ten days on the tour as he needs the experience of playing in the middle again in order to contribute to the side.
The report mentioned that doctors are hopeful they have finally solved Smith's chronic ankle problem, helped by custom-fitted boots that should more evenly distribute the weight on the joint.
