Graeme Smith could be South Africa's first director of cricket

Former captain Graeme Smith is in contention to become South Africa's first director of cricket, a post created in the aftermath of the country's group-stage exit from the World Cup.

According to 'ESPNcricinfo', Smith is in running for the top job alongside two other contenders -- the suspended interim director of cricket, Corrie van Zyl, and former national selector Hussein Manack, both of whom were also interviewed.

One of South Africa's finest captains, the 38-year-old Smith could emerge as the figure the embattled team looks up to for a revival in its fortunes.

The director will be responsible for overseeing all cricket played under Cricket South Africa's ambit, which includes the national teams, high-performance, age-group structures, and the domestic set-up.

The national team has struggled to fill the voids created by the retirements of top players such as AB de Villiers, Dale Steyn, Hashim Amla and Morne Morkel.

The Proteas won three matches and lost five in the World Cup, finishing in seventh position in the 10-team tournament in the United Kingdom.

They had also lost to Sri Lanka in a home Test series earlier this year, the first time ever that they have lost a Test series against an Asian side in South Africa.

Smith played 117 Tests, 197 ODIs and 33 T20s for South Africa before retiring in 2014. The position is expected to be filled by the end of this month.