Smith did not have enough time to force victory over England

Smith said: "To lose two days at Centurion was never going to help us but the boys tried hard.

"Credit to England - they've played hard and grafted hard for five matches and probably deserved their series win.

"We probably lost the series at the Wanderers but we've taken a lot of highlights out of the series too."

Smith insisted the future was not bleak for South Africa, adding: "If people are patient they will see some good things from this team."

AB de Villiers, with scores of 92 and 109 in the series, was named man of the match.

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He said: "I was very happy with the performance. I played very well, I think.

"Unfortunately we couldn't pull through with the win but I enjoyed it very much and hopefully I'll play for many years to come."

The opening batsman, who can also keep wicket, is aged just 20 and has been selected for South Africa's one-day squad for the first time.

He said: "It's a very exciting type of cricket and I'm looking forward to it very much."