Smith lauds Australia's adaptability after facile win

As a stand-in captain in Test cricket, Steven Smith is yet to lose a match, and that streak continued when Australia registered a comprehensive win in the second Test at the Gabba to go 2-0 up in the Ashes. In eleven matches so far, when he has substituted as a skipper, Smith has eight wins and three draws.

Things weren't easy for the hosts with Ben Stokes and Will Jacks stone-walling the attack today. A stubborn seventh wicket stand, which lasted 221 deliveries for 96 runs, tested Australia's patience but the hosts were willing to play the long game. Eventually, thanks to Michael Neser's five-wicket haul, they skittled England out for 241 in the second essay, and a target of 65 was achieved with ease.

"That was a huge win, obviously great to go 2-0 up. It's been a wonderful couple of weeks for the team. I think we've played some sensational cricket, we've identified moments in the game and made the most of them, so yeah, it's been good fun. Super proud, I think everyone played their role throughout, different roles...," said Smith after the game.

"I think that's one thing this team's done for the last four years, I reckon, we identify moments, we play live, you know, we adapt on the go instead of getting back in the sheds and going 'we should have done this, we should have done this'. We identify what we need to do at that present moment and adapt. And I think, yeah, we've done that well for a long period of time and, you know, sometimes it's just playing the long game," said Smith about the Stokes-Jacks partnership and Australia's mindset at the time.

"I thought we did that really well today when the ball wasn't offering a heap, a few different things, tried to keep it as tight as we could, we got the rate down as low as it's been for the game and we're kind of working towards that second new ball and we're kind of like if we can get an opportunity, you know, that chance, we were like if we can get one before the new ball we can really start charging in. So, yeah, I think we've just adapted so well the last couple of years and played in real time, I suppose."

Smith defended the inclusion of Neser at the expense of Nathan Lyon, reflecting on the 35-year old's ability to play different roles as per the team's needs. Apart from assisting Alex Carey in a half-century partnership in the first innings, Neser made key incisions in the second innings as he bagged his maiden fifer.

Neser was instrumental in triggering a collapse on Day 3 when England were off to a solid start. They were 90 for 1 at one stage before Neser dismissed Ollie Pope and Zak Crawley in quick succession, which led England to slip to 128 for 6. On Day 4, Neser broke the Stokes-Jacks stand by dismissing both batters en route to figures of 5 for 42 in 16.2 overs.

"It was tight, you know, we could have gone a few different ways and it's certainly nothing against Nathan. You know, he's a freak, he's been our spinner for a long time. We just thought if we can get our sessions right in the way we play and obviously the extra batting and the tail - the way they batted for 50 overs enabled us to do that, that 35 overs we had last night really sort of turned the game, those six wickets we took.

"I was trying to line our sessions up as much as possible and, yeah, as I said earlier, I think Michael offers something different. We can bring the keeper up, we can bowl stump to stump, keep things tight and make you take risks when the ball's probably not quite as quick or a little bit skiddy, I suppose, so we were happy with that but, yeah, it's nothing against Nathan, that's for sure, he's an unbelievable bowler and he's done it for so long.

Smith was also lavish in his praise of Carey's wicketkeeping. "I thought he batted beautifully too, but yeah, that performance behind the stumps was something else. Ness was getting the ball up around 137, 138 at times, bowling similar, he just gets in behind it (keeping up to the stumps). He finds a way to just get the ball in his hands, it hits the batter's pads and it ends up in his hands somehow, you know, he works exceptionally hard.

"He's as fit as anyone, he just turns up day in, day out, rarely makes a mistake and pulls off unbelievable catches. I think when I was at slip, when he was up to the stumps, I was so wired just because of how much he covers. He just gets his hands out there, it's like he knows they're going to nick it almost at times and gets his hands out there. That keeping performance was as good as I've seen."

Meanwhile, the Australian captain expected England to hit back hard in the third Test in Adelaide. "I'm not sure how their dressing room is going to respond, you know, they're obviously a really good side and have played great cricket for a couple of years now. And, you know, we've put them in it to a position where we're happy, obviously 2-0 up.

"So they're going to come back hard, whether they come back and play really aggressive or, you know, take the foot off the pedal a little bit and try and long the game a bit, we'll wait and see. But they've got some really good players in their team and, yeah, they're going to come back hard at this next game," said Smith.