PERTH (Australia): Skipper Tim Paine thanked team-mates after Australia thrashed New Zealand by 296 runs on the fourth day of the first Test at Perth Stadium on Sunday.
“We are still improving, but certainly over the last 18 months there has been drastic improvement in this cricket team. We can get better,” said Paine.
After retaining the Ashes in England, the Australians have returned home to record successive inning victories over Pakistan and then one of their biggest-ever wins over their trans-Tasman rivals.
Paine was appointed captain last year after sandpaper scandal in South Africa in March last year hit Australian cricket followed by the ban on star players Steve Smith and Dave Warner along with Cameron Bancroft.
The home side went into the Perth Test ranked fifth on the International Cricket Council rankings, while New Zealand were second.
“We’ve got some players back. We’ve also seen some real improvement in the guys who got a chance 18 months ago, and the experienced guys have come back and put a bit of icing on top.
“We are moving in the right direction and happy with the way we’ve played in the last three or four Tests,” added Paine.
The 35-year-old also said it was hearening to see other players stepping up, after Smith almost single-handedly retained the Ashes for Australia.
For the first time in his career Smith has gone three Tests without a half-century, but Paine actually views that as a positive.
“We needed other guys to stand up and can’t be reliant on Steve. Marnus (Labuschagne) has been unbelievably good, and Davey (Warner) and Joe Burns have been scoring runs.
“If we want to be one of the better teams in the world guys have got to stand up and we can’t be reliant on too few. We are really happy with how our batting has developed,” said the Aussie skipper.
