Cricket South Africa and former national captain Graeme Smith confirmed that they have finalised an agreement in terms of which Smith will be appointed Acting Director of Cricket for an interim period.

CSA Acting Chief Executive, Jacques Faul, said: “I am delighted that Graeme has agreed to assist Cricket South Africa up until the IPL next year. Obviously, Graeme has had his concerns during the course of the last few months, but I am pleased to say that we have overcome those concerns and I look forward to working with him to urgently address pressing cricketing matters in particular.

“Graeme is statistically the most successful Test captain in the history of the game,” added Faul. “He is a natural leader and his knowledge of the game is second to none. To have him on board to work with the professional cricket arm of CSA, as well as the cricketing pipeline, which is so vital for our game, is a massive shot in the arm for CSA during this period.”

Commenting on his appointment, Smith said: “I’ve publicly stated a number of times that I would love to assist CSA in this difficult time, particularly in developing this new role of Director of Cricket. I’m still as passionate about South African cricket as I ever was and I’m looking forward to getting stuck into the role. There is a lot of work to be done in the next few weeks and months and my objective will always be to make a positive impact during my tenure.”