'Really enjoy captaining in this part of world' - Steve Smith expresses content after Sri Lanka whitewash

Visiting side Australia (AUS) capped off a successful tour of Sri Lanka (SL) after claiming victory by a dominating nine-wicket margin in the second Test of the two-match series, held in Galle, on Sunday, February 9. Notably, the play ended early on Day 4, as the 75-run target set by the hosts was chased down in the first session of the final Test.

After the match, the standby Aussie skipper, Steve Smith, applauded the all-round effort his side displayed throughout the series. In specific he pointed out the adaptability aspect of the game to which batters came out with flying colours against the Lankan Lions. He also credited his bowlers and also to the training camp which was organized to help them get accustomed to the subcontinent conditions. 

"It was a really good series. We played really well from the outset. The way the batters were able to adapt was outstanding. All of our bowlers did a terrific job, Mitchell Starc included. And the spinners went to work. We had a really good training camp in Dubai before coming here," said Smith during the post-match ceremony.

I really enjoy captaining in this part of the world: Smith

Furthermore, Steve Smith also expanded upon the different strategies employed by several batters in the red-ball setup. Ranging from the great use of the feet to bringing out the sweep shots led to the job getting done believes the interim captain. Besides, the Australian batting stalwart also credited his partner Alex Carey, whose marathon knock paved the way to another dominating victory over Sri Lanka.

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"All of our batters bat differently. Usman [Khawaja] and [Alex] Carey like to sweep a lot, me and Marnus [Labuschagne] use feet. It's been really fun. We've got such a great group here. I really enjoy captaining in this part of the world. All the movements you need to make, the intricacies involved. I thought Alex played exceptionally well. That partnership obviously helped us set up the game," Smith concluded.

With the victory in the second Test, Smith extended his win as Australia's Test captain to 23 in 41 matches. With a win percentage of 56.09%, Smith stands fourth in the list of Australian red-ball captains, having led in a minimum of 30 Tests on the basis of the win percentage. Smith ended the series by being the second-highest run-getter, with 272 runs in two innings.