Australia captain Steve Smith reflects on a 2-0 series win over New Zealand and the retirement of Black Caps captain Brendon McCullum on Wednesday (24th February).

Australia became the number-one ranked Test side after their seven-wicket victory in Christchurch.

SOUNDBITE (English) Steve Smith, Australia captain (about achieving the world number one status):

"I guess, we came here at the start of the series wanting to win 2-0 and I knew if we could get that we would be number one in the world. It was a big motivation for us. I thought the guys adapted to the conditions really well and it's really pleasing to have won 2-0 and be the number one in the world."

SOUNDBITE (English) Steve Smith, Australia captain (On retirement of New Zealand's Brendon McCullum):

"That was our plan. Obviously Brendon (McCullum) has been absolutely magnificent for the world of cricket, he is a great ambassador for our game and terrific leader for New Zealand and he has been for a long period of time. We just had to see the way he played in the first innings to score the fastest ever test hundred is testament to the guy's character. They were under the pump there and he came out and really took the game on and got them into a pretty good position on the first day. He has had a terrific career and I wish him all the best in his retirement."

SOUNDBITE (English) Steve Smith, Australia captain (on the team's performance with new players):

"I think it is very special when you get to the number one in the world. It's our goal to be number one in the world in every format. A lot of credit has to be given to the guys who have recently retired as well...the ranking system goes for quite a while and those guys were big part of our successes as an Australian team. Having said that, the guys who have stepped up to the plate since those six big retirements it's been outstanding and I'm really proud of the way the boys have been performing."