Graeme Smith began his exclusive interview with 2oceansVibe Radio on Friday afternoon with this question. Over the course of the next 50 minutes, Smith spoke candidly about his total loss of confidence and self-esteem that led to his decision to stay away from South Africa following the Protea’s disappointing quarter-final exit from the 2011 Cricket World Cup, and much, much more. The full interview is after the jump.

To whet your appetite, enjoy these few quotes.

“I don’t envy Sachin Tendulkar.” – On celebrity status in India.

“It was one of the toughest things I’ve ever had to do. And as you can hear I’m still emotional about it.” – On proposing to his fiancee.

“From a leadership point of view it offers me a good opportunity to work with Gary, and hopefully we can take the test side to number one.” – On leading the South African test team under Gary Kirsten.

“It’s something that I think about all the time, actually. One day though, I’m definitely going to have to find another job.” – On retiring from cricket.

“An autobiography? Definitely. I’d like to write a story. You know, I was given the opportunity to captain South Africa at the age of 22, I’ve been through so much.”

Graemesmith-24-june-2011 by 2oceansvibe.com