Captain Steve Smith is hoping his triumphant new Gen-Y line-up can build "something really special" for Australian cricket over the next 10 years.

Smith said he would love to see the team which emphatically beat South Africa last week remain together for the next decade.

Smith hopes the introduction of Matt Renshaw, 20, Nic Maddinson, 24, Peter Handscomb, 25, and the recall of wicketkeeper Matthew Wade and paceman Jackson Bird to salvage something from the series wreckage can prove a turning point not dissimilar to the 1980s revival under Allan Border.

"Last week was great. The guys responded beautifully, a new team together, to play the way we did against a quality opposition was incredibly pleasing," Smith said Wednesday. "It's probably a little bit harder now than it was back in the '80s. The demands of international cricket are probably a little bit different with all three formats of crickets and lots of cricket going on.

If they can continue to perform, there's no reason we can't play together for the next five to 10 years and create something really special together."