South Africa captain Graeme Smith will retire from international cricket at the end of the current series-deciding Test in Cape Town.
Smith, 33, will retire with 347 international matches to his name, including 117 Tests, 197 one-day internationals and 33 Twenty20s.
The opener, who has only scored 42 runs through five innings in this series against Australia, broke the news to his Proteas team-mates at the close of play on day three of the third Test at Newlands.
"This has been the most difficult decision I have ever had to make in my life," he said in a statement.
"It's a decision that I have been considering since my ankle surgery in April last year.
"I have a young family to consider, and I felt that retiring at Newlands would be the best way to end it because I have called this place home since I was 18 years old."
Smith made his Test debut as first drop at the Cape Town ground in 2002, also against Australia, making a typically solid 68 in his second innings.
One year later he was handed the captaincy and, at just 22, was the youngest captain in South Africa's history.
Over the ensuing decade he has led the team to become the world's number-one Test side, a ranking they still hold.
"I have always been someone who has left everything out there on the field for my team and for my country," Smith said.
"I'm extremely honoured and proud to have had the privilege to lead so many wonderful players and to have been a part of building the Proteas culture to what it is today.
"It is a culture that every player can be, and is, immensely proud of."
The Johannesburg native ends his career as one of the most prolific South African Test batsman in history with his 9,257 runs placing him second behind Jacques Kallis (13,206).
He is also behind only Kallis's 47 when it comes to the most Test centuries for the Proteas, with 27 to his name and will end his career with a Test average pushing 49.
"I would like to express my deepest gratitude to the support from my parents and brother, my wife and children, my friends, my sponsors, my fans and to Cricket South Africa (CSA)," Smith said.
"I thank and honour the players who I have played with and those who have supported me and helped me to be the person and captain I am today.
"I have been fortunate to have had many highs, amongst them leading and being part of the best Test team in the world. I will cherish these memories for the rest of my life.
"Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I bid my career a fond yet sad farewell."
With 6,989 runs, he is South Africa's third-highest scoring batsman in ODIs.
Decision caught everyone off guard
Smith's decision to retire seems to have surprised most with CSA chief executive Haroon Lorgat blindsided.
"Although Graeme's decision to retire from all forms of international cricket comes as a surprise to all of us, we must respect him for deciding to call time," Lorgat said.
"Knowing him as well as I do, having been instrumental as a selector in appointing him as a young captain, he would not have taken this decision lightly or without a great deal of thought.
"He has captained the Proteas for more than a decade and he will draw a lot more satisfaction from the fact that he leaves our Test team at the top of the world and in such good health, rather than from all the personal records he has achieved as the longest-serving captain the game has ever seen in the demanding Test format."
Lorgat said the skipper should be remembered not only as one of the best but as one of the toughest cricketers around.
"I would like us to remember Graeme for his nerves of steel and his match-winning performances that were synonymous with some of the most remarkable fourth-innings victory chases of all time," he said.
"These included setting up the 414-run chase against Australia at Perth and his series-clinching innings at Edgbaston in 2008, not to mention the unbeaten century the last time he faced Australia at Sahara Park, Newlands in 2011.
"His role in setting up the famous 438 win over Australia in 2006 was also a performance never to be forgotten."
Over the last summer Australia has overseen the ending of a number of careers with England spinner Graeme Swann retiring in the middle of the Ashes series and star batsman Kevin Pietersen effectively dumped after the whitewash.
First drop Jonathan Trott also flew home with a stress-related illness after the first Test at the Gabba and will be out of cricket for the foreseeable future.
