Eye department, Hospital in East Melbourne, Australia

Australia skipper Tim Paine heaped praises at team-mate Steve Smith, describing him as the 'best player he has ever seen'.His remarks came after Australia's 185-run victory over England in the fourth Test of the ongoing Ashes. This win enabled Australia to retain the Ashes."He is pretty handy, I won't lie. He is the best player I have ever seen. Obviously his 200 was phenomenal but yesterday to push the game forward put England under pressure. He has got a lot of courage to take teams on," ESPN Cricinfo quoted Paine as saying.The 30-year-old Smith, who scored 82 runs in the second innings of the fourth Test of the ongoing Ashes on Saturday, has been having an exceptional series. He has amassed 671 runs and has become the second-fastest batsman to register 26 Test centuries.In the first innings of the match, he scored a double ton, enabling Australia to post 497 on the board.The team then bundled out England for 301 to gain a lead of 196 runs.In the second innings, Australia was in a spot of bother at 44/4, but Smith played a vital 82-run knock to enable the side to declare at 186/6, setting England a target of 383 runs.Paine was able to contribute himself in the second innings as he scored a half-century. He has become the first captain to retain the Ashes in England since Steve Waugh in 2001.In the final innings, England's wickets kept on falling at regular intervals but Australia had to toil hard to take the final two wickets.England was finally bundled out for 197 in the fourth innings. Pat Cummins took the maximum number of wickets as he scalped four batsmen."It is a very funny game. Even half an hour ago (during England's ninth-wicket stand) I was thinking I should have taken that job. I am really humbled to come here as captain and do something really special. We will enjoy tonight but we came here to win them, not just to retain them. We would love to be 3-1 up when we hold the urn aloft," Paine said."I am pretty pumped. This team has been through a lot in the last 12-18 months. Some individuals more than others. The character we have shown to bounce back, even from Headingley last week, shows a lot about the quality of the people," he added.Currently, Australia has a 2-1 lead in the series with one match left to play.England and Australia next face each other in the final Test, beginning September 12 at the Oval.( With inputs from ANI )

Eye DepartmentFOLLOW

Eye department, Latest News

After winning the fourth Ashes Test match, Australia spinner Nathan Lyon said he wants to win the fifth and the last match of the series, to be played at The Oval. ...

Former Australia skipper Ricky Ponting has backed struggling opener David Warner to retain his position at Old Trafford. While Australia may have retained the Ashes with Warner taking a few stunners on the field, he has had a bit of a horror tour wit ...

Australia and England have the oldest rivalry in cricket and fans of both countries have always been enthusiastic about voicing their opinions and as the team from Down Under retained the Ashes, Australian Federal Police (AFP) jumped on the bandwagon ...

More than 100 bushfires were on Monday raging across two Australian states, while weather services warned that strong wind gusts and dry air were hampering efforts to control the fires that have damaged around 50 houses and several other buildings. ...

Australia captain Tim Paine has lavished praise on Steve Smith and termed him a genius following his brilliant run in the ongoing Ashes. ...

Twitter was flooded with congratulatory messages for the Australian cricket team after they retained the Ashes in England for the first time since 2001 following their emphatic win in Manchester. ...

England skipper Joe Root identified Australia batsman Steve Smith as the standout performer in the ongoing Ashes and said if the batsman is taken out of the equation, the situation would be very similar for both teams. ...

Australia skipper Tim Paine heaped praises at team-mate Steve Smith, describing him as the 'best player he has ever seen'. ...