Graeme Smith Weds Singer-Girlfriend Morgan Deane in Cape Town

It was the relationship that suffered an image jolt after South Africa lost the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011. However, that has not stopped the South African Test captain from sealing his relationship in the form of marriage to the Irish singer-model.

Graeme Smith’s relationship with Morgan Deane did not receive the warmest of welcome back home in South Africa. That was because Graeme Smith got engaged to his Irish girlfriend in the immediate aftermath of South Africa’s shock exit from the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 quarterfinal to New Zealand by flying straight to Ireland instead of returning with the rest of the South African cricket team.

With disappointment and anger in the air, Smith was forced to do damage control even as South Africa announced a bifurcated captaincy plan that includes AB de Villiers as South Africa’s Twenty20 and ODI captain. However, Smith could not sufficiently appease the South African cricket fans who felt the captain had bailed on the team when in fact, Smith had sought the team management approval before joining his then girlfriend in Ireland after South Africa’s exit. Furthermore, Smith returned to India for the IPL 4 season, signed up as he was by the Pune Warriors. Smith was already briefly named by the South African IPL cheerleader, Gabriella Pasquolotto, as one of the cricketers who would flirt without compunction. However, the long absence from his own country did not endear him to the local fans still hurting from the fact that South Africa are unable to get past potential to convert it into ultimate glory.

However, the better part of the scenario was that Smith and Morgan have stayed committed to each other despite the turmoil and instead even announced that August would see them tie the knot. And they did.

Smith and Deane married in Cape Town in Saturday in an intimate church ceremony apparently followed by reception for friends and family, thereby taking one more bachelor off the market as far as the cricket world is concerned. However, their news was not kept private as both, Smith and Deane, took to Twitter to announce that the big day was upon them.

While Graeme Smith tweeted:

Thanks for all your positive vibes!! Most exciting day of my life

Morgan Deane was gushing about Smith in her announcement:

Today I'm getting married to the man of my dreams

Smith relinquished the ODI captaincy following the ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, a decision he made much ahead of the tournament and as he turned thirty, he seemed more intent in focusing solely as the Test captain while not retiring from the shorter formats, but merely playing purely as a batsman. It will be interesting how South Africa approach Smith’s new role. There will be a lot of anticipation and expectation from the South African cricket team who are on a long break and will resume international duty only in October when Gary Kirsten will be seen as South Africa’s coach although he has already begun his planning and strategizing with the team.