The 36-year-old Smith, who was a long-time captain of South Africa, has retired from the sport after an international career that spanned 17 years.

Smith has represented the Proteas at the three Olympic Games and it could have been four if the men's team qualified and was sent to Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

Smith said after 17 years the decision to call it quits is the right one.

“After 17 years playing for the South African men’s national hockey team, I have decided to retire from international hockey.

“For the majority of my adult life playing for this team at the best of my ability has been my only goal. At the age of 36 I can honestly say for the first time I don’t feel I can commit 100% to the team any longer, so although I’m sad to be retiring I know it’s the right decision for myself and the team.

“I’m truly going to miss things like touring with a great bunch of guys, going to fantastic events all over the world, battling in Africa to qualify for a World Cup or Olympic Games, and of course attending those big tournaments as well. These moments have resulted in some tremendous highs along with a few lows, but I will be forever grateful to have had the opportunity to experience both of these strong emotions.

“I hope that the next generation of players will be able to take South African hockey into the top 10 and beyond. It was a dream of mine to be a part of the team that did that, but I will settle for seeing it happen in my lifetime, preferably sooner rather than later, guys.

“My sincerest thanks to everyone who has supported me along the way. The list of people and organisations who have helped me during my career is extremely long. I hope I will be able to thank you all personally. Many people don’t realise how challenging our environment can be at times, so to have a support network like I have really makes me very fortunate.

“Going forward I’m excited to continue playing with my club team Den Bosch in The Netherlands and continuing my work at the international school of Eindhoven as a primary school teacher.

“It’s been an absolute honour representing South Africa for the past 17 years.”

Recently the long-time goalkeeper, Rassie Pieterse, also called it a day.

@MorganPiek OFM Sport