Lyon grabs five as Australia complete perfect summer

Justin Langer has sounded a cautious warning to rival Test teams that might be looking to adopt the short-pitched bowling tactics that New Zealand employed with seeming success against the world's second-ranked long-form batter, Steve Smith.

After being hailed the 'best since Bradman' after his record-breaking run spree during last year's Ashes campaign in the UK during which he averaged 110 per innings, Smith's statistical impact on the five-Test Domain Series against Pakistan and New Zealand was comparably minor.

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The former Australia skipper finished this home Test season with 254 runs at an average of 36.29 from seven innings, his lowest return across an Australia summer since he debuted as a lower-order batter and occasional leg-spinner against England in 2010-11.

As a result, he was replaced at the top of the ICC's Test batter rankings by India captain, Virat Kohli.

The 30-year-old's reduced visibility on the scoreboard was partly due to lack of opportunities against Pakistan as teammates David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne posted huge scores, and also the run-saving tactics then employed by NZ's seam bowlers.

In particular, Smith's normally free scoring was curtailed by left-armer Neil Wagner, who targeted his rival with short-pitched deliveries that rose between chest and shoulder height with the leg-side field stacked to further reduce Smith's shot-making options.

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The ploy proved so successful that Wagner claimed Smith's wicket in four of the five innings he played against the Black Caps, all of them in roughly similar fashion – caught on the leg side as Smith tried to flick or heave the ball away.

However, Langer has warned that even though Wagner's tactics were effective because it's a mode of bowling the NZ seamer is known to specialise in, they have been tried by other opponents and Smith has conquered them with little concern.

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The most notable instance was at Old Trafford last year when England's pace bowlers, having seen Smith struck on the neck by Jofra Archer at Lord's and forced to miss the next Test due to concussion symptoms, targeted him repeatedly with bouncers.

Smith went on to score an imperious 211 in that Test, which Australia won comfortably to retain the Ashes urn.

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"Wagner did it brilliantly, but he is the master of that style of bowling," Langer said today when asked if he expected the tactics to be repeated by other Test teams.

"The other New Zealand guys tried to do it, but it wasn't as effective.

"England tried to do it in the fourth (Ashes) Test, but it wasn't very effective.

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"As I keep saying, he (Smith) is the best problem-solver I know in the game.

"They can keep trying it, but he'll find a solution."

Despite the marked reduction of runs he scored in Australia's 5-0 season return against Pakistan and New Zealand, Smith's impact on the latter series was considerable, Langer claimed.

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He might not have posted a century for the first time in a home Test summer since that 2010-11 Ashes campaign (in which he played just three Tests), but the role he performed in wearing down NZ's front-line seamers was invaluable to the team's cause, his coach has assessed.

The 627 deliveries he faced against the Black Caps (for a top score of 85 on Boxing Day at the MCG) is the most he's soaked up in a three-Test campaign on home turf and allowed teammates to reap the benefits against weary NZ seamers who had invested almost everything into quelling Smith.

"Don't underestimate the impact Steve Smith had on this series," Langer said in Sydney today.

"He didn't get the big hundreds and the big accolades, but he chewed up a lot of balls when it really mattered in the first innings (of matches).

"He was outstanding without doing the super-human stuff he did in during the Ashes, but he had a great series.

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"To his credit, Neil Wagner is a brilliant exponent of that style of bowling but not many people can do that.

"Even our guys who bowl 15-20kph quicker, it's hard for them to do what he does.

"Smithy will work it out."

Domain Test Series v New Zealand

Australia squad: David Warner, Joe Burns, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Matthew Wade, Travis Head, Tim Paine (c, wk), Pat Cummins, Mitch Starc, Nathan Lyon, James Pattinson, Michael Neser, Mitchell Swepson

New Zealand: Todd Astle, Tom Blundell, Trent Boult, Colin de Grandhomme, Matt Henry, Kyle Jamieson, Tom Latham, Henry Nicholls, Glenn Phillips, Jeet Raval, Mitchell Santner, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, BJ Watling, Neil Wagner, Kane Williamson (c)

First Test: Australia won by 296 runs

Second Test: Australia won by 247 runs

Third Test: Australia won by 279 runs