We are looking at ways to improve: Steve Smith

Australian skipper Steve Smith believes that his team can bounce back soon. After being thoroughly outplayed in the ODI series, the Aussies will hope to perform better in Tests. Australia were whitewashed 5-0 by South Africa. This was the first instance when Australia were whitewashed in a 5-match bilateral series. Despite the defeat, the skipper remains optimistic about the future.

Smith saw the silver lining as Australia got a chance to have a look at bench strength. Speaking at the press conference after the final ODI, he asserted that they had a look at the younger guys. “It is an opportunity to see some younger guys,” he said. Australian pacers have been plagued by injuries with Mitch Starc and Josh Hazlewood being out of action.

Steve Smith cites the packed schedule as the reason for this. He says it becomes tough for pacers to cope up with such schedules. “I think with the schedule these days and the amount we play, it’s impossible particularly for fast bowlers to sustain bowling at good pace for long periods of time,” he said.

He further added that the senior pacers needed rest. Moreover, the series served as a learning curve for youngsters despite having a tough run. “We’ve chosen to give Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood a rest for this series. It’s given an opportunity for a few younger guys to come in and try and impress. It’s been a very tough series for everyone, but I’m sure they’ll learn a lot out of it,” marked the Australian captain.

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He also admitted that this was the first instance when he faced a whitewash in ODIs and it has been difficult. But the positive remains that the team has been together in crisis time. He defended his side by citing the inexperience of the team.

“I’ve never played in a one-day series where we’ve lost all five games. It’s been a difficult task. We’ve been outplayed. But the group has stuck together well. We’re always looking at ways we can improve … We just haven’t been able to go out there and do the business. We’ve had a pretty inexperienced side, to be fair,” Smiht pointed out.

He praised David Warner’s effort in the final ODI and accepted that everybody else let the team down. Not being able to convert starts into big scores has been a concern. “We just haven’t been able to put enough partnerships together,” Smith said. “We’ve had guys who have had starts and not been able to go on with it. Having said that, Davey was magnificent today. To score 170 out of our 290 was remarkable. The rest of us weren’t good enough,” Smith concluded.

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