Lehmann explains Smith exit reasons

Australia coach and national selector Darren Lehmann has defended the decision to send skipper Steve Smith home midway through the current ODI series in Sri Lanka so he can freshen up for the hectic summer schedule ahead.

Smith headed to Colombo airport this morning at the same time that his ODI teammates were beginning a four-hour bus ride to the jungle city of Dambulla, where the third and fourth matches of the ongoing five-game series will be played on Sunday and Wednesday.

Lehmann confirmed that discussions about the captain prematurely departing the 10-week Qantas Tour of Sri Lanka had pre-dated the Test series, which finished earlier this month with a 3-0 whitewash victory to the host nation.

But he acknowledged that while critics of the decision, including Smith's predecessor as Test and ODI captain Michael Clarke and former Sri Lanka skipper Mahela Jayawardene who was at the Australians' Colombo hotel this morning, were entitled to their views the selection panel stood firmly behind the unusual move.

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"We respect our former captains and former greats who have an opinion," Lehmann said today in the wake of Australia's 82-run loss in last night's second ODI at the R Premadasa Stadium.

"There's no dramas, they're entitled to that.

"But we think it's the best thing for Steven to get him right and ready to go.

"We planned that for a long time and he (Smith) took some convincing, there's no doubt about that.

"But as a coach and a selection panel we're making sure he's fresh and ready to go each and every time he plays for Australia.

"We just wanted to make sure that he's fresh and ready to go for South Africa and then the big summer ahead.

"It was well planned and well thought out, and that's what we're doing."

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In addition to granting Smith a couple of weeks to get away from the competitive cricket environment before he leads Australia into an ODI tour to South Africa, home Tests against South Africa and Pakistan, an ODI campaign against Pakistan in Australia, home and away ODI series against New Zealand and a four-Test tour to India, there is an extra rationale for the decision.

Not only does it allow the incumbent captain a chance to recharge, it provides his deputy David Warner with an opportunity to lead Australia in a series that remains in the balance and in the most demanding of conditions.

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Given that Warner, whose captaincy experience has been restricted to a stint in charge of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League and one match at the helm of the Sydney Thunder in the early iteration of the KFC Big Bash League, is but a torn hamstring away from becoming his country's 46th Test skipper.

"If Steven happened to get injured then we need David to have some experience," Lehmann said today ahead of Warner's maiden appearance as Australia's 23rd ODI leader on Sunday having endured a lean tour with the bat in the red and white ball formats in Sri Lanka.

"So that's another opportunity and that's important for us to get him that experience.

"They're a great leadership duo together and David's been exceptional over the last couple of years, coming through some difficult times and now playing really well.

"Obviously we'd like him to make a few more runs in this tour but having said that, with the leadership he did really well with the IPL side (Sunrisers Hyderabad) so we're confident he'll do a good job for us."

Prior to his departure for home, Smith indicated that he was keen to continue leading his country in all three international formats (Test, ODI and T20I) despite concerns that it was heaping too great a burden on the 27-year-old's shoulders.

Former Test captain Steve Waugh recently expressed his view that the mental pressure that accompanied international captaincy was a reason that many Test-playing nations including England, India and South Africa share the leadership responsibilities across the different formats.

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But Lehmann reaffirmed that the selectors, who elevated Smith to the T20 captaincy in place of Aaron Finch for the World T20 tournament in India last March, were keen for the Test and ODI skipper to continue in that role.

"He wants to keep doing and we're very happy with the way that he's leading the side," Lehmann said of Smith's T20 commitments.

"Obviously with results, we'd like a few more wins here in Sri Lanka.

"But from our point of view it's a case of making sure that he's fresh and ready to go for each tournament that comes up."