Steve Smith says he has no intention of giving up the one-day captaincy despite his struggles during Australia’s 4-1 series loss to England.
Smith was unstoppable in the Test arena during Australia’s 4-0 Ashes rout, plundering 687 runs at an average of 137.4.
But the intense summer of cricket caught up with him in the one-day series, where he scored just 102 runs at an average of 20.4.
Australia have now lost 11 of their past 13 completed ODI matches, and Smith said there will be a review of their woeful one-day form.
Evaluating personnel will be part of that review.
But Smith, who will be rested from the upcoming T20 tri-series against England and New Zealand, was quick to quash any talk that he would be willing to give up the ODI captaincy.
“I’m happy leading these boys at the moment,” Smith said.
“Unfortunately I haven’t done as well with the bat in this series as I would have liked.
“Both me and Dave (Warner) as the senior players haven’t stepped up.
“That really hurts your team when your two senior players aren’t scoring the runs that they need to be.
“But look, I’d like to keep taking this team forward and leading the boys and doing the best I can.”
Smith and his men have just 16 months to address their issues before their World Cup title defence begins in England next year.
Australia’s 12-run loss to England in the fifth and final ODI on Sunday summed up their problems.
Set 260 for victory at Perth’s new $1.5 billion stadium, Australia were cruising at 4-189 before suffering another middle-order collapse.
The one bright note for Australia was the form of Marcus Stoinis, who struck 87 off 99 balls after being promoted to No.3.
Stoinis’ departure – when he was caught after mis-timing a full toss – sparked Australia’s collapse.
Smith said it was another example of a missed opportunity.
“Those are the things that has really hurt us,” Smith said.
“He played well for his 90-odd. But it would have been great to see him get 120 not out and get the guys home.
“It’s probably been a year since we’ve played good one-day cricket.
“We’ve got a lot of improving to do if we want to be a force in the World Cup in just over 12 months’ time.”
Warner will captain Australia’s T20 squad in Smith’s absence, starting with the February 3 clash with NZ in Sydney.
Smith will now refresh his tired body and mind ahead of the four-Test tour of South Africa, which starts on March 1.
“I’m looking forward to this rest. It’s been a long summer,” Smith said.
“I’ve got a couple of weeks now to refresh, recharge, and get myself ready for what will be a challenging South Africa tour.”
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