Sydney, Jan. 8 -- After winning the fifth Test by five wickets and clinching the Ashes series 4-1 against England, Australia stand-in captain Steve Smith said that it was nice to finish the 2025-26 series on a high note.

Smith also stressed the importance of winning every Test match in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) and hailed his group for standing up at difficult times throughout the series.

Smith also opened up on missing Khawaja, who has retired from international cricket after the conclusion of the Sydney Test.

"It was nice to finish on a high note. We know the importance of every Test with the WTC. It was a great wicket out here. Had a bit of everything. Everyone has stood up at different times throughout the series. Anyon...