Australia captain Steve Smith hits back at Graeme Smith’s comments about their lack of fight in their team culture. 

The Ex-Proteas skipper mentioned that Smith looks ‘a bit lost’ and that if Australia can’t turn things around the debate surrounding his captaincy will intensify.

‘If I think about earlier years it was always built on respect and the value of the baggy green,’ the South African said this week.

‘Maybe players didn’t always get on but they respected the environment and they were traditional and they understood the importance of what playing for Australia meant.’

The Australia captain has hit back at the criticism.

‘I’m not sure what Graeme Smith knows about Australian cricket,’ he said on Friday.

‘I think the team’s in a good place at the moment.

‘We’ve got a good culture built on constant improvement and getting better.

‘The guys are in a good place, we’re a tight-knit group and we’re ready to hopefully turn this around this week.’

Proteas captain, Faf du Plessis refused to get involved with the debate.

‘I don’t know too much about it,’ du Plessis said on Friday.

‘I’m always of the position if you don’t know what’s exactly going on inside anything you can’t comment on it.

‘I definitely can’t comment on the Australian culture (but) from the outside it looks the same as always.’