Australia will have a new captain in the form of Steve Smith as Michael Clarke hung his boots after the final Test of the 2015 Ashes series. It is not the first time that Smith will be leading the Aussies, he has done it before in the absence of Clarke but now he will be a full-fledged captain.
Smith said he is ready for a new era in Australian cricket after 'Pup's' (as Clarke is popularly known) retirement and is excited to lead this Aussie brigade.
"I guess it's a new era in a way for Australian cricket," Smith told reporters on Wednesday.
"I'm very excited. Obviously, I've known for a little while now that I was going to be taking over the one-day squad, so I've been working pretty hard and preparing (for) everything coming up," he added.
Smith has been handed over a ready made side which consists of World Cup winners such as David Warner, Shane Watson, Mitchell Starc and Glenn Maxwell. Cricket Australia have also added youngsters such as Joe Burns and Marcu Stoinis to the side for the upcoming ODI series against England.
Smith felt that the newcomers would help the team in moving ahead after yet another Ashes defeat on English soil. "But they're really excited and I'm really excited to see them do well on this tour."
"It's been a tough tour for us. It's disappointing to have lost the Ashes. (But we have a) new group now with some younger, newer guys who hopefully can bring some exuberance and energy to help lift the spirits a bit and help get back on track (and) hopefully start my career in captaincy on this one-day tour on a winning note," said Smith.
