"I haven't picked up a bat and now I'm keen to get the bat back in my hands which probably means it's been good." © Getty

Steve Smith, the Australian captain, admits a draining Ashes campaign left him "absolutely ruined" but a much-needed break has the Allan Border Medallist feeling refreshed ahead of the Test tour of South Africa.

The 28-year-old led Australia's successful Ashes triumph with a spectacular Man of the Series performance but a notably tired Smith struggled in the subsequent One-Day international (ODI) series defeat to England.

In a welcome breather, Smith has been rested from the ongoing Twenty20 tri-series ahead of the crucial tour of South Africa with the bulk of Australia's squad leaving on Thursday (February 15). Smith has enjoyed two weeks off culminating in winning the prestigious Allan Border Medal on Monday for the second time.

"I needed it (a break). I was absolutely ruined after the one-dayers," Smith said in Melbourne on Tuesday (February 13). "It takes a lot out of you, an Ashes series. Particularly with every Test match going five days and the extra pressures and everything that comes with an Ashes series. I was certainly feeling it mentally. And the last 10 or 12 days that I've had off, it's been great.

"I haven't picked up a bat and now I'm keen to get the bat back in my hands which probably means it's been good and I'm ready to go for what's going to be an exciting tour of South Africa," he added.

After plundering 687 runs in a dominant Ashes, a flagging Smith averaged just 20 in Australia's 4-1 ODI series loss. "You could probably see it in the one-dayers that we played, the guys that had played Test cricket throughout the summer were probably just not quite at their best mentally - just a bit fatigued," Smith said. "We probably saw that in our T20 performances - the guys that came in fresh and had been playing a bit of white-ball cricket in the Big Bash, those were the guys that were playing some good cricket.

"It's been good that the Test guys have been able to have a little bit of a break and freshen up and really hit the ground running when we get to South Africa," he added.

Smith shared the spotlight on Australian cricket's awards night with Ellyse Perry, who won her second Belinda Clark Award. The star all-rounder beat out Beth Mooney and Megan Schutt for the top prize in Australian women's cricket.

"I'm really pleased," Perry said. "Every year there is new ground being broken in women's cricket and it is exciting to be part of."

Perry said she strived to keep improving her game and looked forward to next month's ODI tour of India. "I've got plenty of things to keep working on especially in trying to be more dominant with the bat," she said. "Playing India in their conditions makes it a tough challenge but we are really excited about it."

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