Smith made his One-Day International debut against Australia in 2001. While not the most flamboyant of batsmen, Smith averages a healthy 37 in One-Day Internationals, which is top-notch.
He was left out of the World Cup squad and out of sorts Lance Klusener was retained. But after a dismal performance by South African team in the World Cup, Shaun Pollock was shown the exit door from the captaincy spot.
Media heavily criticised the elevation of Smith to the hot seat. His first stint as a captain was when he led South Africa for a Dhaka tri-series against India and Bangladesh. He had very little experience of just eight Tests and 22 One-Day Internationals, but showed great determination as his team reached the finals and posed all sort of problems for the mighty Indian lineup fresh from a great World Cup.
Smith built on that success with a great series in England for himself and South Africa in which he scored his highest Test runs (277) and also broke a world record of hitting three centuries in consecutive innings.
Even though the series was drawn, Smith earned a lot of acclaim for his personal achievements as well as his leadership capabilities.