We've still got a lot of work to do: Steve Smith

Australia beat West Indies in the tri-series final on Sunday as they have now won 7 of their last 8 ODI series, which includes the 2015 World Cup triumph. But Steve Smith feels that they have a lot to improve, especially the fielding. The Australian skipper urged the players to transform the energy they had in the final clash to every game.

“We’ve still got a lot of work to do,” Smith said after the tri-series final. “I was pleased with the way we scrapped today. I’m using that word a lot, but it’s been a bit of a theme throughout this series with the wickets we’ve been playing on. I was pleased we were able to get the job done. Our fielding still needs a lot of work. We need to be able to have the energy we had today in every game, and there’s no reason why we shouldn’t.”

“We’ve got to continue to start well with the ball. In the last three or four series we’ve been up against some pretty dynamic opening batters, but they’ve got the better of us at the start. We’ve been lucky enough to pull it back in the middle overs and bowl pretty well at the death. We’ll make things a lot easier for ourselves if we start really well,” he added.

In the final, the hosts started off well with 48 for 0 from the first 10 overs, but the player of the series winner, Josh Hazlewood struck in the 11th over of the match to bring Australia back into the contest and it was the first of his five wickets. Then it was the player of the match, Mitchell Marsh struck in three consecutive overs to give Australia the upper hand.

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“I think Josh is getting better and better every day,” Smith said. “He’s getting more comfortable in his body. He’s been on the park for a significant amount of time now and he’s very comfortable in that regard. That’s a start. His skill set is outstanding. He hits terrific lengths, hits the seam and he’s getting better and better every day. I’m really pleased for him to win the Man of the Series in this particular series.”

“I thought the way Mitchell used his variations today was spot on. He’s come a long way in this series. I thought he batted beautifully the other day and I guess he’s just going to gain a lot more confidence out of what he did the other day and what he’s done today. I’m really pleased for him,” said the Aussies skipper.

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The 27-year old doesn’t forget to praise the effort made by the wicket-keeper, Mathew Wade, who took Australia from 173 for 6 to 270 with his 57 from 52 balls. “I thought Matthew Wade played beautifully,” Smith said. “He played with a lot of composure and played good cricket shots, and batted with the tail, who stuck around and did a terrific job to get us to 270. That was incredibly pleasing.”

“I think he can take a lot of confidence out of the way he played today. He’s played pretty well with the bat throughout the series as well. I’ve watched him in the nets, he’s probably hitting the ball as well as anyone. I wasn’t surprised that he was able to do what he did today. I’m pleased for him.”

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“No doubt he was disappointed about not keeping at the World Cup. You’ve got to be disappointed with that. He’s been great around the group. He’s been very vocal. He gets the guys up as much as he can drive the energy. That’s what the keeper needs to do, and he’s done that very well throughout this series,” he concluded.