The 2017-18 Ashes will be remembered as the summer of Steve Smith.
After the Australian skipper spearheaded his side's 4-0 win, there wasn't a person in the country who was surprised when he was awarded the Compton-Miller Medal for man of the series.
The world No.1 batsman plundered 687 runs during the Ashes which came to an end following Australia's innings-and-123-run victory in Sydney on Monday.
His three centuries were a key difference between the two sides as he went on to claim man-of-the-match awards in two of the five Tests.
"It's such an odd technique and one that works brilliantly for him," England bowler Jimmy Anderson said.
"It's not something that you coach, definitely. I think the talent that he's got along with his mental toughness is a really good combination.
"He's very difficult to bowl at, his confidence is sky-high."
While it is fraught with danger to compare any batsman to Don Bradman, Smith finds himself in rarefied air a tier below The Don.
Smith's career average has ballooned to 63.75 to stand only behind Bradman's famous figure of 99.94.
His runs haul was the sixth most by an Australian in an Ashes series and the third most by an Australian skipper.
His average of 137.4 was the second highest by an Australian in an Ashes, only behind's Bradman's 139.14 in 1930.
"That's part of batting, I love being out in the middle and doing the job and trying to lead from the front for the team," Smith said.
"I've worked very hard in the nets, I've hit a lot of balls.
"My mind's probably in as good a space as it's been with my batting.
"I'm making good decisions consistently. That's part of batting.
"I'm really proud of the way I've played."
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