Clarke said Australia took confidence and momentum from the strong finish in the first Test. However, Smith said the wasted opportunities and an unusually below performance from a bowling lineup containing Dale Steyn and Vernon Philander — the two top-ranked fast bowlers in Test cricket — and Morne Morkel only proved there was plenty of room for improvement for the tourists.
“For us a disappointment in a draw is good, it shows that people expect us to play well and to perform well and that’s exciting for us,” Smith said. “We come to Adelaide knowing there are a few areas where we can definitely improve on and we’ve had some good discussions about that.”
“In terms of the No. 1 ranking, we know it’s going to be a process of us performing well for a period of time and this is the big challenge for us,” he added.
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