Biff marriage is hit for six

When Proteas cricketer Graeme Smith fell for Irish singer Morgan Deane, he fell hard and fast.

So hard, in fact, that when the Proteas were bundled out at the quarterfinal stage of the Cricket World Cup in 2011 Biff decided not to fly back to South Africa with his teammates and face the music but to head for Dublin and his Deane.

That angered some South Africans and Smith would later call a press conference in Johannesburg to apologise - but it was the start of a whirlwind romance that has now come to an end.

David Becker, the couple's representative, said yesterday that the marriage was over: "I confirm that Graeme and Morgan are unfortunately divorcing. This is obviously a private matter and the couple ask that their privacy be respected."

That 2011 World Cup began four years ago today and proved frustrating for Smith.

He scored 45, 20, 22, 16, 7, 45, and 28, for an average of 26.14.ESPNcric info wrote on social media then: "Graeme Smith's fiancee bought him a choker."

Smith and Deane married in Cape Town in August 2011. Deane tweeted that she was "getting married to the man of my dreams" and Smith called it "the most exciting day of my life".

Deane gave birth to the couple's first child, Cadence, in 2012.

The following year they announced the birth of son Carter.

In March last year, he announced his retirement from all cricket on the grounds that he had a "a young family to consider".

A day later Cadence was hospitalised with severe burns after an accident at home. Smith completed play against Australia in Port Elizabeth before rushing to the hospital as his daughter underwent surgery.

Last week Deane posted a picture of the two children captioned: "As long as we've got each other ..."